Lost in Time
by nibblesfan
Summary: Part Three in my Lost Series...Erik and Natalie finally have everything they've ever wanted and are perfectly content with the way things are. However something in the universe likes messing with the space-time continuum. Is there any way they can find each other once again? And what happens when Erik learns that Natalie may not be as crazy as he thought when they first met?
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everybody! I still can't believe that my idea with Natalie has expanded into a whole series. Honestly, I didn't think anyone was going to read it or pay attention to it, so the fact that I'm starting the third story is just unbelieveable. I love you all for that! Anyway, this story is a little bit different than the others. It's going to be simulaniously told from both the _Phantom_ universe as well as our world. And this story isn't really going to have any new characters, it's going to have some minor characters from the other stories playing a larger role. But of course it's still going to have our favorite weird couple as the main focus! Thank you all for all your support! Read and review and enjoy Part Three!_

* * *

Every fiber of Erik's being went on high alert when he heard the crash of the piano. Running into the parlor, he saw his six year old daughter Celine looking around in confusion, rubbing sleep from her eyes. He smiled as he realized she must have dozed off while practicing. "And that would be the sound of bedtime," his wife Natalie announced.

Celine's twin brother Christian yawned. "But I'm not tired," he protested.

"You heard your mother," Erik said firmly. Christian pouted, but hugged Natalie before trudging off to bed. He turned to his daughter. "You too." She gave him a sleepy smile then halfheartedly held out her arms. Chuckling, Erik picked her up and carried her to her bedroom, her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist.

"Night Daddy," she whispered as he tucked her in.

"Goodnight my angel," he replied, before kissing her forehead.

"You spoil her rotten," Natalie said as he walked back into the parlor.

"Hey, she takes after her mother," Erik responded then took her in his arms. "I don't remember you ever complaining about me spoiling you."

Natalie rested her head on his shoulder and his embrace tightened. "That's because it's your job to spoil me," she teased. "You're not supposed to spoil your kids."

"No one mentioned that to me." He tilted her head up and studied her face. She seemed paler than normal. "Are you feeling alright?"

She sighed. "Well I wasn't going to say anything until I knew for sure. But it looks like you figured me out."

"Are you pregnant again?" he asked jokingly until he saw her face. His jaw dropped. "Really?"

"I'm not one hundred percent certain, but I think so." Natalie braced herself for his reaction. When she had told him she was pregnant with the twins, Erik didn't take the news so well.

But instead of shouting at her like before, Erik cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Natalie couldn't believe how much her husband had changed over the years. When they had met, he was the fearsome Phantom of the Opera, but now Natalie didn't really think he was capable of hurting anyone. It just proved that all he had ever wanted was to have a normal life, and now that he had it, he was just as charming and wonderful as anyone.

Erik smiled when they broke apart. "I suppose that means I'll have to add _another_ room to the house."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Like I said, I'm not absolutely positive, and even if I am, you still have nine months."

* * *

Natalie's eyes snapped open as a hand snaked around her waist, and she instinctively tensed. "It's just me," Erik whispered, brushing her long blonde hair from her neck and kissing it gently. "I didn't mean to wake you."

She rolled over to face her husband. "It's okay," she replied, not mentioning that he had pulled her out of a nightmare.

However, Erik had always been able to read her emotions like a book, and tonight was no different. "What's upsetting you?"

"It's just…" Looking into Erik's deep green eyes, Natalie could feel tears threatening to spill. "I try to forget, but I can't. Most of the time I'm okay, but the possibility of a new baby… I'm just reminded of it all over again."

"Him?" Natalie nodded, her lip quivering. Erik held her close and stroked her hair. "Natalie, he can't hurt you. He's dead. You're safe with me. You know that."

A few tears slipped down her cheek at the memory. "He's not dead," she murmured. "He just went back to the future. Back to where I'm from. There's the possibility he could come back."

"Natalie, he was shot. We saw it. There was no way he could've survived."

"He vanished into thin air! You said yourself that I did the same thing when I was trapped in the fire of the Opera Populaire. But I'm right here. How do you explain that?" Erik opened his mouth to respond but couldn't think of the words to put her mind at ease. "You can't can you?"

"Even if he does come back, I won't let him hurt you. I'll protect you and the twins and the new baby. You know I will."

She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes. "Always?"

"Of course," he replied. "I'll always be around to keep you safe."

"Promise me."

"I promise." A smile of relief flashed across her face for a brief moment, before she cuddled up next to him and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Early the next morning, Natalie reached out searching for Erik's warm embrace. Instead of finding him though, she realized his side of the bed was empty. Usually he waited for her to wake up, but whenever he had inspiration, Erik would get up and go compose, no matter what the hour.

Crawling out of bed, she walked into the parlor. To her surprise, she found the room empty, Erik's music lying untouched on the piano. The kitchen was also deserted. Natalie poked her head into the twin's rooms, but just found the children still sound asleep.

Feeling a hint of worry, Natalie decided to check outside. Perhaps Erik went to go check on the horses or went for a walk or just felt like getting some fresh air. Occasionally he did something strange like that. But when she went to open the door, she discovered it was still locked, and the key was in its usual place. Why would Erik lock the door and still leave the key? Granted, he was more than capable of picking the lock, but it would be so much easier to just take the key.

"Erik?" she called, running outside. "Dammit Erik, where are you?" Natalie opened the door to the stable, but only found Erik's black horse, Caesar, and Emeline, the palomino mare that he had given her after the twins were born. At the sign of the horses, Natalie had a rush of mixed emotions. If the horses were here, he couldn't have gone far. But if he wasn't in here, where was he?

* * *

Erik was surprised to find himself waking up on the floor. The next weird thing he noticed was that he was wearing his mask. Unless he was going to the nearby town, he never wore it anymore at Natalie's insistence. So why did he have it now?

Then his eyes grew wide. Even though it had been nearly a decade since he had lived under the opera house, he still had better vision in the dark then most people. And despite it being pitch black inside, Erik realized he wasn't in his own home. Where was he? Looking around he realized that had no idea what most of this stuff in this house was. What the hell was going on?

Before he could figure anything out, Erik heard a lock click and saw the doorknob turning. Automatically he turned and fled the room, looking for another way out. He might have quit being the Phantom of the Opera ten years ago, but that didn't mean he still didn't have the same flight-or-fight instincts. The fact that he was in here without knowing how he had arrived wasn't good, especially if he was discovered.

He soon found himself in a bedroom, and to his relief, there was a window. Erik ran up to it and tried frantically to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Behind him, the door swung open and light suddenly filled the room. He heard a gasp, so Erik turned and saw a woman, who looked in her mid-twenties staring at him, her mouth hanging open in horror.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where's Daddy?" Celine asked, realizing Erik wasn't at breakfast.

Natalie's first thought was that she couldn't let her children know how anxious she really was. If they found out that their father was missing, it would upset them beyond belief. Hopefully Erik would turn up soon and she was really freaking out over nothing. "He's on an adventure."

Christian's eyes lit up. "Really? Where's he at? What's he doing?"

"I'm sure he'll tell you all about it when he comes home." _If he's still alive once I'm through with him_, Natalie thought. This was so unlike Erik. If he ever left the house, he'd always leave a note, even if he was just going to stable. The fact that he disappeared without a trace had Natalie out of her mind with worry.

"Is he going to be home soon?"

"I don't know sweetheart," Natalie told her daughter honestly. "But I think he'll be back before dinner. He shouldn't be gone too long." She ruffled her son's hair. "Why don't you two go play. Don't worry about Daddy."

As the children scampered off, Natalie looked out the window, praying that her husband would return soon. For all she knew, he would never come back. But she refused to consider that option. Erik had promised that he would always be there for her. So where was he now?

* * *

Before she could yell for help, the man had flown across the room and clamped a hand firmly over her mouth. What frightened her most about him wasn't the mask; it was the look in his eyes, like a deer in headlights. The fact that he was that desperate made her think he was going to kill her.

"Don't scream," he ordered. "I promise I will not hurt you, but you cannot scream." The way he spoke was strange to her. He had just a hint of an accent she couldn't place and he seemed to speak very formally and old fashioned. Something about him made her believe he would keep his promises as long as she did as he asked. "I am going to let you go now, okay?" She nodded, and true to his word, he released her.

"Who are you?" she asked, backing against the door. "How did you get in here?"

"This is going to sound completely and utterly mad, but I don't know where I am or how I got here. I just know I don't belong here."

"No shit."

"What year is it?" he asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"The year. What year is it right now?"

"I don't see why that…" Her voice trailed off. She really wasn't in a position to be snippy, even if this guy was asking stupid questions. "2012."

"Holy shit." He looked around the room then back at her. "You're serious aren't you?"

"Of course I'm serious. Why wouldn't I be?" All of a sudden it dawned on her. "You think you can travel time don't you? That's impossible." Then she put it all together. The mask, the strange way of speaking, the delusion of time travel. "You think you're the Phantom of the Opera. Well news flash for you: You can pretend all you want but he isn't real."

The man bared his teeth. She could see the anger in his eyes and it terrified her. He ripped off his mask and threw it at her feet, exposing his face. It was twisted and marred in a way she couldn't describe. "I don't think, I don't pretend," he snarled, grabbing the neckline of her shirt and pressing her back against the wall. "I _am_ the Phantom of the Opera."

* * *

"I want you two to promise me you'll stay inside," Natalie instructed. "I'm going to go look and see if I can find Daddy before it gets dark."

"But you're going to come back right?" Celine asked.

"Of course sweetheart. I won't be gone very long," she assured her. "But I need you to stay here where I know you're safe. Okay?"

"Yes Mom," Christian replied.

Natalie turned to her daughter, who nodded. "Yes Mommy."

She hugged her children. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Within minutes, Natalie had saddled up her horse Emeline and was beginning to start her search for Erik. Looking back at the house she could see two small white faces starting out the window at her. She knew as long as much as she wanted to tear the earth apart until she found her husband, the twins needed her and had to get back soon.

Natalie pressed the horse as hard as she dared. She searched everywhere she could think of, calling Erik's name. But when she received no response, her hopes were sinking. As the sun disappeared she knew she had to return home.

"Did you find him?" the twins asked the second she walked in the door.

"No, he's going to be gone longer than we thought," she replied. "But don't worry; he can take care of himself. We just need to sit tight and wait, and he'll come back."

Later that night, Natalie was tossing and turning in bed, afraid to fall asleep. Suddenly the bedroom door opened. She sat up expectantly. "Erik?"

Instead of Erik's deep, reassuring voice, she heard one of a small child. "Mommy?" Christian hadn't called her that in several months, insisting he was too old, so the fact he was using that name now worried her.

"Come here." She held out her arms and he hugged her tightly. "What's bothering you?"

"Daddy's going to come home right?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't he?"

Christian looked up at her. "I just had a dream about him. He was lost and scared. I didn't think dads could get scared."

"Everyone gets scared from time to time. But don't worry, Daddy's brave. Nothing bad is going to happen to him," Natalie replied as soothingly as she could.

"Promise?"

Before she could respond, the door opened up again, revealing Celine standing there. "You too?" Natalie asked. Her daughter nodded, so Natalie motioned for her to join them. "All right, I'll tell you what. How about we have a sleepover? You two can sleep in here with me okay?"

The twins nodded then curled up next to her, one on each side of her. "There, aren't we cozy?" she said with a smile. Determined that her children wouldn't share the same fear she had, Natalie began to sing a lullaby.

"_Somewhere over the rainbow  
Way up high,  
There's a land that I heard of  
Once in a lullaby._

_Somewhere over the rainbow_  
_Skies are blue,_  
_And the dreams that you dare to dream_  
_Really do come true._

_Someday I'll wish upon a star_  
_And wake up where the clouds are far_  
_Behind me._  
_Where troubles melt like lemon drops_  
_Away above the chimney tops_  
_That's where you'll find me._

_Somewhere over the rainbow_  
_Bluebirds fly._  
_Birds fly over the rainbow._  
_Why then, oh why can't I?_

_If happy little bluebirds fly_  
_Beyond the rainbow_  
_Why, oh why can't I?"_

As the kids drifted off to sleep, Natalie's thoughts drifted once more to her husband. _Erik when I find you, I am going to kill you_.


	3. Chapter 3

"Please," she whimpered. "Don't hurt me." Erik suddenly felt a rush of emotions. He hadn't lost his temper, not like this, in years, and her plea for mercy brought on a wave of guilt. The second he dropped her, she tried to scramble away.

Backing away himself, Erik tried to process everything whirling through his mind. His family needed him, he _had_ to get back. This girl was probably his best bet, and now thanks to his lack of self-control, she was cowering in the corner. All those old feelings of self-contempt and disgust that Erik hadn't really felt since he had met Natalie came crashing back.

He swept his mask off the ground and replaced it back on his face before sitting on the ground heavily with a sigh. The girl watched him carefully. Eventually she seemed to work up the courage to speak. "Do you…do you have a name?" she asked quietly.

"Despite what everyone thinks, Iam _not_ an animal," he replied, speaking more harshly than he intended. When she recoiled at his sharpness, Erik sighed again and leaned backwards against the wall, fighting the strong urge to beat his head against it. "Erik," he finally answered.

"Your name is Erik?" He nodded. She stared at him a while longer before asking, "You're not really the Phantom of the Opera are you? I mean, it's just a musical. The Phantom isn't real."

"Do I look real to you?" he asked dryly.

"But that's impossible! Technically you don't exist! You're a fictional character!"

"Apparently no one told that to whatever dragged me into this." Erik glared at her. "Do you think I want to be here? Because I want nothing more than to go home."

She seemed to get braver the more he spoke to her. "So how you did you even get here?"

"I don't know! I just woke up and happened to be on your floor. Otherwise I'd repeat whatever brought me here in a heartbeat to get back."

"Is there some way for you to get back to your universe and out of mine?"

"If I knew how to get the hell out of here, do you think I would be sitting here right now?" he snapped.

"You mean I'm stuck with you? You tried to kill me!"

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead," Erik pointed out. "Granted I did lose my temper, but if you were in my shoes, you would have too. And the second I figure out how to get out of here, I can assure you, I'm leaving."

"Great," she groaned. "I have a guy, who theoretically doesn't exist, in my house, so I can't call anyone or get any form of help without being locked away in the loony bin."

"I'm enjoying this even less than you. This world is beyond strange to me. I don't know what any of this stuff is or how it works. I feel like I've gone mad."

"I'm not entirely convinced you aren't."

Erik didn't reply to her. He glanced out the window. "Now I know how Natalie feels," he mumbled to himself.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing." He looked at the girl. "So do you have a name?" he asked with a hint of a smirk.

"Despite what everyone thinks, I'm not an animal," she responded with a sarcastic tone that reminded Erik of Natalie. If all women in this place were like this, he could see his wife fitting in perfectly. "I'm Shelby." She looked at him curiously. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry.

Erik was confused. "You're taking this rather well. I think I should be concerned."

"You're concerned? I have a fictional character in my house! I'm the one who should be concerned. But if this is all in my head, hopefully either you just disappear soon or I figure out how to function without everyone else knowing I'm crazy."

"I thought we established that I'm real."

"Just because we can talk and interact doesn't make you real. For all I know, you're just a very lifelike hallucination," Shelby said with a shrug. "Now about that food...C'mon let's go see if I have something in the fridge."

"What's a fridge?" he questioned as he followed her out of the room.

"A refrigerator, aka a fridge, is a giant cold box that keeps food from going bad. A freezer is usually attached to a fridge and keeps food frozen."

"Aka?"

"This is going to get really old really fast. Aka means also known as. It's just shorthand used for texting or IM'ing." She rolled her eyes when she saw his confusion. "Instant messaging. Both are forms of communication."

"This place is way too complicated," Erik grumbled.

"It's not my fault you're a hundred and fifty zillion years behind in technology." Erik watched her open a white door, and he felt a wave of cool air. "Meh, none of this looks really appetizing or edible. I can order a pizza or get some take-out delivered. Well it wouldn't be take-out if I got it delivered, but it's still good. And I'm pretty sure you won't want to go out for dinner with your whole facial issue."

"I don't know what most of that meant."

"Pizza it is." Shelby pulled a black rectangle out of her pocket and poked it a few times before holding it to her ear. "Oh, this by the way, is a phone. Anyone who has one can call someone else with one and they can talk to each other," she explained before he could ask. "Hi yes, I'd like to order a pizza."

Erik wandered away, since she was obviously more interested in talking to the rectangle. He looked around Shelby's house, trying to figure out what some of these devices were. A picture caught his eye so he walked up to get a closer look.

It was some sort of collage with many different pictures together, all of them of the same two girls. One was Shelby; the other was familiar to him. In one picture, the other girl's hair had green streaks, in another it was purple, and in a third it was pink. His eyes widened as he saw the picture where the girl's hair was streaked with blue.

"Hey, food will be here in about twenty minutes or so," Shelby announced, walking into the room.

"Who is this?" Erik asked pointing to the picture. "What is her name?"

Shelby's eyes filled with tears. "She was my best friend growing up. We were practically sisters since we were ten," she whispered. "But it doesn't matter. She's dead. She's was murdered years ago by her boyfriend Craig."

Ice water ran through his veins at the mention of that name, but Erik let it pass. "But I know her," he protested. "Natalie isn't dead!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey everybody. Sorry about the long wait, but school just started last week and I'm already on the verge of tearing my hair out with stress so I won't be able to update nearly as much as we're all used to me doing. Also, it has been pointed out to me that Shelby said the year was 2012 and the original story was supposed to be in 2012. As I said at the beginning of the story, I wasn't expecting to reach a part three (Honestly my original idea was to have Natalie wake up and meet and Erik look-alike and them be happy together instead) so anyway if Andrew Loyd Webber can fudge up years, I should be allowed to too, and since I don't have a time machine, I'm just going to stick with 2012 cause I don't know what 2022 society is like. By now you're all sick of me, so to make a long story short, sorry about the wait, I won't update as often, and yes time is all messed up. And now, without further ado, Chapter 4 of Lost in Time._

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

Natalie untangled herself from the blonde twins snuggled up next to her and slipped silently out of bed. This was the third day since Erik disappeared, and her hope was slowly vanishing. There still hadn't been any sign that he was going to return or even where he had gone.

She wrapped her arms around herself and could feel a few tears slip down her cheek. Natalie was forced to be strong for her children, and yet she felt broken inside without Erik. It was only a matter of time before her façade was shattered and her vulnerability was exposed to the twins. Despite her every attempt to repress her emotions, Natalie knew sooner or later she would have a breakdown unless Erik came back very soon. The twins already spent every night in her room crying for their father, they didn't need to see their mother lose it too.

"Mommy?" Natalie wiped her eyes and turned to see Celine watching at her. "Is Daddy back yet?"

"Not yet sweetheart." Her heart was crushed when Celine's face fell. Even though the twins had inherited most of her looks including her blonde hair, their most stunning feature was definitely their father's green eyes. And just like with Erik, she could always see the pain in their eyes. "Everything's going to be alright. I promise."

"You said Daddy was going to come back," her daughter said accusingly.

Natalie could feel tears rush to her eyes. Celine was right. She kept promising them Erik would return, and yet she had no idea if he really would. "Is Dad home yet?" Christian asked, walking into the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Opening her mouth to reply, Natalie realized if she answered, she was going to cry, so she ran for the door. "Mom?" her son called. "Where are you going?"

"Stay inside," she ordered. "I'm going to go look for your father." Natalie flew out outside and made it all the way to the stable before she broke down. She wrapped her arms around Emeline's neck and sobbed into the horse's fur.

When she was finally able to get control of herself, Natalie swung herself up onto the horse and rode off. It was obvious that Erik wasn't here, but she hadn't dared leave her children for a long period of time. But she had to know, maybe, just _maybe_ somebody had seen _something_ that would tell her where her husband had disappeared to. That and she had a question that wouldn't quit nagging her ever since Erik vanished.

* * *

"Yes you are indeed pregnant," Henri said to the blonde woman staring expectantly at him. As soon as the words were out of the doctor's mouth, Natalie buried her face in her hands. "Pardon my asking, but is this an unwanted pregnancy?"

"No!" she shouted. Henri backed up at her raised voice. "I'm sorry," Natalie whispered. "I shouldn't have done that." She wrapped her arms around herself. "It's just that Erik isn't home right now, and I'm not sure when he's going to get back. With the twins, I'm not sure I can handle them and pregnancy alone."

Henri knew that wasn't the whole truth. "You don't know where he is, do you?" he asked quietly. Instead of answering him, Natalie started to run. He managed to grab her arm before she got away. "I take that as a yes."

"I need to get back to my children," she insisted. He gave her a stern look, waiting for a real answer. She hung her head, her lip trembling. "He was gone when I woke up the other day and I don't know when or if he's coming back."

"Is there anyone that can help you, someone, family, friends, to turn to?

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. I'll find some way to manage. And if you see Erik, could you please tell him to come home."

As Natalie left, Henri hoped for her sake that her husband did return soon. He had seen things like this happen way more often than he was willing to admit, and more often than not, the "missing" person had just abandoned their family and responsibilities. However, he knew the couple, and Erik was probably the last person in the world Henri would expect to leave his wife. But what did he know? There still was the possibility that the masked man would never be seen again.

* * *

Closing the door behind her, Natalie sighed. She knew the doctor meant well, and he did bring up a valid point. She hadn't even considered getting help from anyone. But she wanted to wait for a while, giving Erik a few more days. The only people she could really go to were the de Chagnys, and she knew Raoul would flip shit.

"Natalie?" She turned and nearly groaned. Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear, she thought. "What are you doing out here?" Raoul asked.

She shrugged. "Just came out. Had a quick question for the doctor. I was just about to head back."

"There's something else isn't there," Christine said. Natalie cursed the fact that she was a horrible liar and extremely easy to read. "What's wrong?" She sighed again, let the shit flipping begin.

* * *

Shelby couldn't help but snicker as she watched Erik examine the pizza. He held up a slice by a corner of the crust and seemed utterly baffled by the triangle of deliciousness. "I'm not entirely sure this is food," he said aloud.

"Course it is," she mumbled through a mouthful of gooey cheese. She swallowed before continuing. "Standard American fare, smothered in cheese then soaked in grease." The expression on his face caused her to giggle. Shelby couldn't tell it was disbelief or disgust, but she was betting on both.

He raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like it would kill me."

"Shut up and it eat it." Instead, he placed the pizza back on the plate and resumed staring at the picture of her and Natalie. "What is your fascination with that picture?"

"I keep telling you, I know her!" Erik insisted.

"And I keep telling you, she's dead," Shelby snapped. "It's got to be some girl who just looks like her, a freak coincidence."

"Not that coincidental. There is no way in hell I would ever forget that blue hair."

"But it's not blue," she protested. "It's just streaked with blue."

Her voice trailed away as she realized Erik had chimed in to finish the sentence with her. He smirked at her surprise. "I can't tell you how many times she told me that."

That did sound like something Natalie would say, but a minor technicality helped Shelby poke a hole in his story. "But Natalie quit coloring her hair years before disappearing. Blue was the last color she ever had. There was no way you could have seen it."

"She was in my world for a while after a…" Erik paused, trying to remember what exactly Natalie had called it. "A car crash? Yes, I think that's what she said. Then when she returned, she told me she had been in a coma the whole time."

Shelby remembered that crash. Then another detail surfaced in her memory and her eyes went wide. "When she was unconscious, Natalie kept saying 'Erik' over and over again. She was talking about you, wasn't she?"

"I sure hope so. If there's another Erik in her life, I've got a serious problem with that."

His choice of wording seemed odd to Shelby, but she didn't comment. "Okay, well if that's the case, then how did she get back in your world?"

"According to her, Craig tried to kill her. Not that that's surprising," he muttered.

"You know Craig?" Shelby asked in shock.

"I wouldn't say I _know_ him, but we did try to kill each other on several occasions," Erik said with a shrug.

"_What?!_" she shrieked. "Why? What did he ever do to you?"

"You thought he was a murderer. Why does it matter to you what he did?" he countered.

"Because we were all friends! When I thought he killed Natalie, it crushed me. But you're standing here telling me she's still alive and he's in jail for something he didn't do! I mean, you've killed people. Shouldn't you be locked up instead of him?"

Flames flew from his eyes as he stood to face her. Shelby shrank from his rage, realizing she had said the wrong thing. "I may have done things in the past, but not a day goes by where I don't regret some of the decisions that I've made. I am sorry for what I have done, unlike that son of a bitch. And unlike him, I would never _ever_ try to touch a woman, try to _hurt _a woman like what he did to Natalie. He tried to kill her and would have if I hadn't saved her."

As disturbed as she was by Erik's claims, something about his demeanor bugged her. He was clearly agitated, his hands balled in fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, and he shook with fury. "You…you saved her? Why?" Erik didn't answer, he just turned away. Her jaw dropped as she saw his right hand twist what looked like a gold wedding band on his left ring finger. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Now you know why I have to get back," he said. "She's waiting for me."


	5. Chapter 5

_AHHH! I'm sorry! Not only am I incredibly busy, but writer's block is a bitch too. Anywhoo, I'm still alive (if you haven't noticed I did start another phic out of desperation so I'll be doing both as often as I can). And I do realize this is a short chapter, but hey it's something for you so I don't just leave you totally hanging. Read and Review!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"What happened?" Shelby asked as her eyes opened. Looking around, she realized she was lying on the couch, but she didn't remember sitting here. She pressed a hand to her forehead with a slight moan. Her head was pounding; it felt like her she had smacked it on something.

Erik was crouching next to her and helped her sit up. "Oh good, you're awake. I'd be screwed if something bad happened to you."

"Thanks for your concern," she said sarcastically. "Seriously though, what happened?"

"You bumped your head on the edge of the sofa after you fainted," he explained as he stood.

"No shit. Why did I pass out?" Erik opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated. However whatever he was going to say didn't matter, as Shelby remembered. "Whoa!" she cried, nearly falling off the couch.

"Hey, easy now!" he ordered, grabbing her shoulders and gently pushing her back down. "Relax or you'll hit your head again."

"_Relax?_" she screeched. "The fictional character I've been hallucinating is now claiming that he's married to my dead friend, and you tell me to relax?!"

"I keep telling you that Natalie isn't dead and I'm not a hallucination!" Erik said with exasperation. "How many times must we go over this?"

"Haven't you seen your own musical? You're supposed to let Christine go so she can marry Raoul, the go crawling after her in the sequel."

"That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard!" he exclaimed. "I let Christine and that fop go because I realized I didn't want Christine, I was really in love with Natalie."

"Well that's stupid!" Shelby snapped. "You'd think that I'd come up with a halfway decent hallucination, not one that doesn't even know his own story."

Erik had had enough. "No one in the world knows what it was like to be put through what I had to suffer, what I've felt!" He sighed, trying to remain calm. "Are you done yet? Because shouting's not going to do you any good."

"Well it makes me feel better," she replied with a childish pout. "Hey wait a second, why am I the one doing the shouting anyway? Aren't you Mr. 'I-think-I'm-such-a-bad-ass-so-I'll-Punjab- you-for-no-reason'?"

He rolled his eyes. "Everyone I killed was killed for a reason. There were plenty of people I could have killed but didn't because I didn't need to. And besides, I'm retired."

"That's stupid," she said, crossing her arms.

Erik could definitely see why she was friends with Natalie. Although, Natalie's immaturity he _usually_ found somewhat charming, but here with Shelby, he was just annoyed. "I can't help that that's how things went!"

"Well you should!"

"Where are you going?" he asked as Shelby got up, shoved him aside, and stormed away.

"I'm going to bed. Maybe I'll get lucky and you'll be gone by the time I wake up."

"I certainly hope so!" he shot back. "Because I don't want to be here!"

The door to her bedroom slammed shut. Erik sank down onto the sofa with a sigh. There were extreme similarities between Shelby and Natalie, but they were all the things that had irritated him. And really, all it did was remind him how badly he wanted to get back to his family. He wondered how this time-travel thing worked. Were they looking for him? Were they worried? Did they even know he was gone?

* * *

Shelby threw herself on the bed and buried her face in the pillows. She was so confused. Erik insisted that he was the Phantom of the Opera, but he didn't seem like a murderous lunatic. He just seemed lost and out of place. Granted, he would be, if he had really time-traveled but still...

Closing her eyes, she wondered. Was it really possible that this wasn't all in her head? Could Natalie be really alive? And if so, she wasn't really married to Erik was she? According to what he had said earlier, there was one other person she could ask, but Shelby wasn't sure she wanted to talk to Craig.

With a sigh, she curled up in a ball, hoping to fall asleep, but Shelby knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Hopefully in the morning she'll find out this had all been just a dream.

* * *

"_GONE?!_ What do you mean 'he's gone'?!" Raoul grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"I just woke up and he wasn't there." Natalie could hear the quiver in her own voice, and it took all her willpower to keep control. "He was just gone."

"But if you're here, and Erik's gone, where are the twins?" Christine asked with concern.

"At home. I didn't want to leave them. I really didn't, but I had to know if Erik was here. I had to look for him." Natalie stared at her friends pleadingly. "You have to understand, I had to."

Christine wrapped her arm around Natalie's shoulders, trying to comfort her. Raoul just stood there, dumbstruck. "But why did he go? What changed?"

Natalie's hand automatically went to her stomach. "But he took it so well," she murmured under her breath.

"Took what so well?" Christine asked.

Natalie ignored her friend. "I've got to get back home." She put one foot in the stirrup of the saddle and started to swing her leg over the horse when a wave of dizziness washed over her. She could feel herself falling backwards.

"Hey, I've got you," Raoul said as he caught her.

She could feel her head against his shoulder, his hand under her knees so that he was carrying her bridal style. "The kids," she mumbled. "They need me."

"Don't worry," he replied. "We won't let anything happen to them." Natalie nodded before everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

Natalie bolted upright and looked around wildly. She had no idea where she was other than she was in a dark room in a bed that wasn't her own. Beginning to panic, she tried to remember what had happened. Where was she? How long had she been out? And the kids…dear God what had happened to them?

The door suddenly swung open, causing Natalie to gasp in surprise. "Jesus Christine!" she exclaimed. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"I didn't mean to," her friend replied. "How are you feeling?"

"My husband's gone AWOL, I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown, I've been so busy freaking out that I feel like I've abandoned my kids, and on top of it all I'm pre…" Natalie caught herself before she said 'pregnant' and finished with "pretty sure I'm going crazy."

Christine sat next to her. "I think you meant to say pregnant," she said with a soft smile.

She didn't even bother to deny it. "How did you find out?"

"When you collapsed, we were afraid there was something serious so we brought you to the doctor. He told us. Natalie, you should have said something."

"You have your own family to take care of; you shouldn't have to worry about mine." Natalie's eyes grew wide. "Oh God the kids! They probably think I abandoned them too."

She got up to run, but Christine grabbed her wrist. "Don't worry. We brought them here last night. They're playing outside with Gustav right now. Did you really think we wouldn't make sure they were being taken care of?"

"_Last night?!"_

"When was the last time you slept?" Christine asked. "And I mean really slept."

Natalie shook her head. "I don't know, the night Erik left maybe. What does that have to do anything?"

"You collapsed with exhaustion according to the doctor. You've been asleep, well, all of yesterday afternoon, all night, and most of the morning."

"So it's tomorrow?" Natalie cried in surprise.

"No," Christine replied with a shake of her head. "It's today. But the today you're thinking of was really yesterday. So I suppose in your mind, yes, it is tomorrow."

"Oh God!" Natalie leaped out of bed and ran out of the room, leaving her friend behind. She flew down the hall and was pretty sure she plowed over Raoul, but didn't slow down. Skidding to a halt, Natalie threw the door open.

"Mommy!"

Natalie sank to one knee with her arms wide open and was immediately tacked by two blonde six year olds. She wrapped her arms tightly around them and pulled them as close as she could. "I'm _so_ sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to leave you."

"Raoul said you were sick," Christian said. "And we had to come here until you were better."

"Do you feel better?" Celine asked. "Because I want to go home."

"I know you do sweetheart."

A hand fell on her shoulder. "Natalie we need to talk."

"You two go play, okay? I have to talk to Raoul right now," she told the kids before standing and facing the Vicomte. "Okay Raoul, you have my full and undivided attention. Well, honestly my attention is very divided but I'm giving you as much as I can."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Raoul asked. "I mean, what was the point of keeping it a secret?"

"Like I told Christine, you guys have your own son to deal with. It wouldn't be fair to make you deal with me and my problems."

"Natalie, you passed out yesterday. What if that had happened at your house? Or if something went wrong with the baby? You would be alone with no one but the twins. What would happen to them or to you?" He sighed. "I don't like Erik and you know that, but I knew I never had to worry about you because he would take care of you and the twins. Right now, the only place I know you're safe is here."

"It sounds like you're going to make me stay."

Raoul smiled. "Natalie, you're stubborn and stupid enough, I can't make you do anything. But as your friends, Christine and I would feel better if you did. I mean, you're here, the twins are here, we brought your horses and some of your things because we weren't sure how long you would stay. If you needed anything, we could always go get it."

"But what if Erik comes back and we're not there?" Natalie asked.

"I left a note explaining the situation," he replied before muttering, "Not that he really deserves one," under his breath.

"Wait, you said the horses were here?" Raoul nodded. "Would you mind taking care of the kids for a few more days?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that there's only one other place in the world that I can think of that Erik felt comfortable. It's my last hope to find him."

Raoul's jaw dropped. "You can't be seriously thinking about going to Paris!"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking."

* * *

Shelby finished straightening her hair, added the finishing touches to her makeup, and then stepped out into the living room. "Ah damn," she swore when she saw Erik. "You're still here."

"Don't sound so excited," he replied sarcastically. "You're not the only one who's disappointed. I was hoping to be home." Shelby rolled her eyes before slipping on her heels. "Where are you going?"

"_I_ have a job and therefore _I _am going to work. _You_ are going to stay here. Last I checked, we didn't have a 'Bring your fictional character to work day' and if you're a hallucination, I can't be talking to you in public anyway. They'd lock me away and I really don't want to have to deal with that."

"You're going to leave?" he asked in horror. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

She sighed. "Behave yourself until you get back." She clicked on the TV and his eyes went wide. "You can watch that." She tossed the remote at him. "You can use that to change the show. Other than that, if you don't know what it does, don't touch it. If you get hungry, there's pizza in the fridge. Throw it in the…" Shelby stopped, realizing Erik and a microwave was probably not a good idea. "You know what? Never mind. Pizza's good cold."

"So you're just leaving me?"

"Are you always this needy?" Shelby demanded in exasperation. "I'm sensing some serious abandonment issues here."

"I'm not needy and I don't have abandonment issues," he replied irritably. "I'm just being left alone in a world where I don't have a fucking clue what the hell is going on!"

"I told you; just don't mess with anything you don't know how to use. I don't think I have anything particularly deadly, but if you try and take anything apart, you'll probably electrocute yourself so don't try it." Erik still didn't look convinced so she grabbed the phone off the wall and pressed it into his hand. "Here, if you have any issues, press this button then press the one that says 'talk' and it'll call my phone and we can talk, okay?"

He stared at it for a moment, before taking it hesitantly. "Alright."

Shelby glanced at the clock. "I've got to go." She started to walk out the door, but turned to face him one last time. "Stay in the house. Don't you dare leave and don't destroy anything either."

"Stay put and don't destroy anything. Got it."

"And call if anything bad happens." She walked out the door. By the time she had reached her car, Shelby changed her mind about work. She pulled out her cell and dialed the familiar number. "Hey, I can't make it in today, I'm not feeling well." Pausing, she listened to her boss for a moment. "Yeah, I'll take care. Thanks." When the conversation was finished, Shelby hung up the phone and put her car into drive. "Oh God, what the hell am I doing?" she asked herself, but she needed some serious answers and Erik just wasn't going to cut it.


	7. Chapter 7

"Natalie, stop!" Raoul ordered. She reluctantly tugged on Caesar's reigns to slow the horse to a trot. The Vicomte nudged his own horse next to her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to Paris! I never asked for you to follow me!" Natalie snapped. "And you're doing nothing but slowing me down!"

"You've gone nearly two days straight! You're driving you and your horse to exhaustion!" he retorted. "If you keep going at this pace, you're never going to make it because you'll collapse before you get there!"

"No I won't," she protested, even though she knew he was right. She was having a seriously hard time keeping her eyes open. "I'm so close, I just can't give up. Not yet. Please don't make me."

"Natalie, for once, stop thinking about Erik for one moment and think about yourself!" Raoul shouted. "You're pushing yourself too hard! Think about what you are doing to yourself and to the baby! You've already collapsed once; you can't keep going like that. Not without eventually paying a serious price."

She opened her mouth to argue further, but wound up yawning instead, further proving his point. "Fine, you win. We can stop." Natalie kicked her feet out of the stirrups and slid down Caesar's side, but she was so tired, her feet gave out from beneath her. Luckily Raoul had leaped down from his horse to steady her. "Thanks," she murmured.

"Imagine if you had kept going and had fallen off your horse," he replied sternly.

"Yes, yes, I know. You've proved your point. I already admitted you won." Natalie leaned against Caesar's warm body and stroked his neck as Raoul tied up his horse. "I just don't want you to be right." Raoul reached for Caesar's reigns, but Caesar's ears went flat against his head and the horse stomped his foot angrily, causing Natalie to smile. "You are Erik's boy aren't you?" she crooned, kissing his soft nose and scratching his ears.

"I can tell," Raoul replied bad-temperedly. "Now can you tie him up? You need to sleep, and I'm tired as well. Knowing you, you'll want us up at the crack of dawn."

"I suppose you don't have that pretty face by staying up all night do you?" she teased. Looking up, Natalie saw the glow of lights in the near distance. She pulled herself back up onto Caesar and tapped his side.

"What are you doing now?" he asked in exasperation.

"Hon, you might be okay with sleeping on the ground, but I see lights which means town, which most likely means a hotel. I sleep much better in a real bed."

"That's probably a good idea. It's probably better for you anyway in your condition."

"Raoul, I'm pregnant not dying. And barely pregnant at that. If worse came to worse, I think I could have survived one night roughing it. But a bed does sound nice," Natalie admitted.

"So I guess we'll go to the town. But once we get there, you're going straight to bed," he insisted stubbornly.

"Yes Mother," she replied snippily. "But first thing in the morning we're going…" Natalie's voice trailed off. "Raoul, I think we're here! I think we made it to Paris!"

The Vicomte's eyes scanned their surroundings. "I think you're right." He looked back at Natalie who was barely upright on her horse anymore. "But that doesn't change the fact you're in desperate need of sleep."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," she protested. "We're here! If you even remotely think I'm going to bed now, then you're crazy."

He reached over and yanked the reigns out of her hand. "I'm not giving you a choice. You're going to kill yourself. If Erik's here and we don't even know that he is, he'll still be here in the morning. Imagine what he would say if he saw you doing this to yourself."

"I don't give a flying fuck what Erik would say!" Natalie roared. "It's his fucking fault in the first goddamn place!" Raoul ignored her and brought both horses to a stop outside of a hotel. Based on their surroundings, Natalie could tell they weren't very far from the Opera Populaire; if she took off suddenly, she could probably get there before Raoul could catch her. But before she could make her move, he put a firm arm around her waist and draped her arm over his shoulders. Natalie decided it wasn't worth the fight and let him lead her inside.

Ten minutes later, the pair was standing outside of Natalie's hotel room. "Get some rest," Raoul said. "We'll look for him tomorrow, I promise."

"Raoul," Natalie looked at him for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "I'm sorry for being so difficult. It's just…"

"I understand," he said with a gentle smile. "You're just trying to help your family."

"Thanks for being such a good friend," she whispered. He nodded then disappeared into his room across the hall. Natalie entered her room and threw herself on the bed. As much as she wanted to storm out and go to the Opera, she owed Raoul at least an attempt to get some rest. Besides, she was utterly exhausted. She curled up into a ball on her side and slowly fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Erik wrapped his arms tightly around the sobbing Natalie and pressed his lips against hers. "I miss you so much," she whispered. "Why did you leave me? And the twins? Did we do something wrong?"

"No!" he shouted. "I didn't mean to leave! I didn't want to! I want to come home! I just don't know how to!"

"Please come back!" she begged. "I need you!"

"I'm trying! Just hang on a little while longer!" he pleaded.

"Erik don't go!" she screamed hysterically. "Please!"

He woke with a start and swore when he realized he was still at Shelby's. His dream had seemed so real, he could feel her warmth in his arms, could taste the salt of her tears when he kissed her.

In a fit of rage, he grabbed the rectangle that controlled the picture box and threw it at another black box. Immediately the sound of a loud, extremely out of tune orchestra started emanating from the box. It was the strangest sound he had ever heard. He couldn't identify any instruments other than a heavy presence of percussion. Usually he could tell almost any instrument from just hearing a few notes so how could he not tell what these were?

_"White knuckles and sweaty palms from hanging on too tight  
Clench of jaw, I've got another headache again tonight  
Eyes on fire, eyes on fire, and the burn from all the tears  
I've been crying, I've been crying, I've been dying over you  
Tie a knot in the rope, trying to hold, trying to hold,  
But there's nothing to grab so I let go_

_I think I've finally had enough, I think I maybe think too much_  
_I think this might be it for us_  
_Blow me one last kiss_  
_You think I'm just too serious, I think you're full of shit_  
_My head is spinning so_  
_Blow me one last kiss_

_Just when I think it can't get worse, I had a shit day_  
_You had a shit day we've had a shit day_  
_I think that life's too short for this_  
_I'll pack my ignorance and bliss_  
_I think I've had enough of this,_  
_Blow me on last kiss."_

"I just want to go home!" Erik screamed at the top of his lungs. "Is that too much to ask for?!" In a desperate attempt to turn the noise off, he kicked the leg of the table it was sitting on. Instead of turning off, the machine fell from the table and landed with a crash.

Erik stared at the smashed remains for a moment before Shelby's words drifted back to him: "_Don't destroy anything_."

"Shit!"

* * *

Natalie wiped the tears from her eyes. She could still feel Erik's arms around her, but it had been nothing more than a dream. How could it have felt so real? Had it been? Had she really talked with Erik? Or was it just wishful thinking? And if it had been real, why did Erik say he didn't know how to do get back home? What did he mean by that?

Staring out the window into the night, Natalie contemplated her dream. It asked more questions than it answered. It just didn't make any sense.

Glancing at the time, she realized she had only been asleep about two hours, but she couldn't stay here any longer. Raoul would just have to understand. She needed answers now. Opening the door, she silently slipped out into the cool Parisian night.

* * *

Raoul de Chagny sat up in confusion. Everything seemed normal, but he had a gut feeling something wasn't quite right. He walked out of his room and glanced down the hall. Nothing in sight. Glancing at the door to Natalie's room, he realized it wasn't closed all the way. He knocked softly then when he received no response, he pushed it open.

"Goddamn it!"


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey guys, it's me! Just an fyi, that I'm experimenting a bit with my writing, like flashbacks, and ect. So that's in the middle of this scene. If it works, awesome sauce, if you don't like it, let me know too! Anyway, read and review like always :D_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"Raoul, you're home!" Christine exclaimed in delight when the Vicomte walked into their bedroom. She hugged her husband and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Did you find him?"

The defeated look in his eyes was all she needed, but he answered her anyway. "No we didn't. There was nothing there. In fact, as far as we could tell, no one has set foot in the Opera since the fire ten years ago."

"How is she taking it?"

"I don't know," he replied with a sigh.

"What do you mean?"

_Raoul ran through the deserted theater, calling Natalie's name. He should have known better than to leave her alone, but he had hoped she wouldn't do this. It just showed how much he had underestimated his friend's stubbornness._

_The floor beneath his feet started to give way, so he leaped forward to gain more solid footing. "Natalie!" he shouted. This entire building was unstable, having been abandoned after the one and only performance of Erik's opera, making it extremely dangerous. If Natalie was hurt somewhere here, Raoul would never forgive himself. _

_Out of the corner of his eye, Raoul spotted fresh foot prints in the ash. He followed them until he reached what had once been Christine's dressing room. Hand prints on the mirror told him exactly where to press to reveal a doorway. _

"_Natalie!" he called once more when he reached the edge of the lake. When he didn't receive an answer, he took off sprinting through the water, afraid of what he would find in the former lair of the former Opera Ghost. If Erik was there, who knew why or what kind of condition he was in, and if he wasn't there, who knew how Natalie would take it._

_As he rounded the final corner, Raoul got his answer. Natalie stood as still as a statue in the ankle deep water staring silently at the ruins of Erik's old home. Everything was destroyed and scattered across the floor, the organ, the bed, all of the music in pieces and covered in a thick layer of dust. Anyone could tell that no one had been here in years, probably not since the mob had ransacked the room._

_Raoul put a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "Natalie?" he whispered._

_A single tear rolled down here cheek. "He's not here. He never was."_

Raoul looked at his wife. "She's barely said a word since we left the opera house. Knowing Natalie, that fact alone is a cause for worry."

Christine's brown eyes were full of concern. "Where is she now?"

"In with her children. I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time with her family after being gone so long."

"You thought it was a good idea?" she inquired with a hint of a smile.

"Alright, _she_ said she was going to see her kids," Raoul admitted, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I just didn't think it was smart to argue with her, and besides she's Natalie. She wouldn't have listened to me if I told her no anyway. But I asked one of the maids to keep an eye on her to keep her from doing anything stupid."

"What if Erik doesn't come back?" Christine asked. "What's Natalie going to do?"

He wrapped his arm around his wife. "I don't know."

* * *

Natalie couldn't help but smile at the sight of her children curled up in twin beds across the room from each other. She gently tugged Christian's thumb out of his mouth, a habit she thought he had broken years ago. Apparently stress was eating at her kids too. He stirred then the brilliant green eyes her children inherited from their father opened. "Mom?"

She pulled him into a tight hug. "Hey kiddo, I'm back."

A soft yawn came from behind her, and a moment later, Celine was crawling into her embrace and snuggling up next to her. "Did you find Daddy?"

As much as she wanted to do otherwise, Natalie knew she had to be honest. "No sweetheart, I didn't."

Christian looked up at her. "Is he gonna come back?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Natalie fought to keep the quiver in her voice to a minimum. "I don't know." She pulled her kids closer. "But you need some sleep. Leave the worrying about Daddy to me." When they tried to protest, she kissed each of their foreheads and began to sing.

"_The day starts, the day ends  
Time crawls by  
Night steals in, pacing the floor  
The moments creep,  
Yet I can't bear to sleep  
Till I hear you sing_

_And weeks pass, and months pass_  
_Seasons fly_  
_Still you don't walk through the door_  
_And in a haze_  
_I count the silent days_  
_Till I hear you sing once more._

_And sometimes at night time_  
_I dream that you are there_  
_But wake holding nothing but the empty air_

_And years come, and years go_  
_Time runs dry_  
_Still I ache down to the core_  
_My broken soul_  
_Can't be alive and whole_  
_Till I hear you sing once more_

_And music, your music_  
_It teases at my ear_  
_I turn and it fades away and you're not here_

_Let hopes pass, let dreams pass_  
_Let them die_  
_Without you, what are they for?_  
_I'll always feel_  
_No more than halfway real_  
_Till I hear you sing once more__"_

* * *

Erik paced back and forth. He was a liar and he knew it. He told Natalie that he was trying to get back, but so far he had done a whole lot of nothing. His only attempt at getting home so far was his nap earlier. Since he had woken up here, he thought that perhaps sleep was the key to leaving this strange world. But obviously that hadn't worked even though really he never expected it to, and now he felt like he had abandoned his family.

For the thousandth time that morning, he wondered how much time had passed since he had left. The first time Natalie came to his world, she was there for nearly a year, but insisted only three had taken place here. But it was four years in between her visits for both of them. As far as he could tell, there was no pattern to the time differences, which meant that it was possible that Natalie had no clue he was gone yet, or she thought he had been gone for months. Erik was praying for the first option.

He felt awful. He honestly did want to go home, but he didn't have the foggiest clue on how to do it. And really, Erik didn't believe the solution to his problem was here in this house, but no matter what Shelby had told him, he wasn't really planning on leaving alone. He had a feeling going outside had the high possibility of him getting himself killed. But then again, perhaps that _was_ the answer.


	9. Chapter 9

_Natalie pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she sobbed uncontrollably. Her stomach was clenched, nearly making her throw up. The pain between her legs was unbearable. Until now, no man had ever touched her except for Erik, but her husband would never have done so against her will._

_"No!" she screamed as his fingers twisted in her hair and he dragged her to her feet. "Please! No more!" She managed to tear herself from his grip but he hit her, sending her crashing to the ground. He kicked her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. "Please," she gasped. "Stop! Let me go!" Another blow struck her chin, so Natalie attempted to protect her face by wrapping her arms around her head. "Erik, help me!"_

_"He's not coming for you," came the reply. "He doesn't care. You'll never see him again." He hauled her back up, pulled her against him, and pressed the knife to her throat, the pressure enough for her to feel a thin line of blood appear on her neck. "Tell me you were wrong to leave me," he hissed. "Now that you've been with a real man, tell me that was the greatest thing you've ever experienced."_

_"Please don't make me," she begged. "I love Erik." He immediately roared in anger before he backhanded her across her face. As her head slammed into the ground, the last thing she saw was those cruel, steel gray eyes before everything went black._

Natalie buried her face in the pillow in an attempt to muffle the sound of her screams. She hadn't had a flashback or at least one that vivid, for a very, very long time. After a moment, her screams became heavy sobs. All she could see was that sick, satisfied smirk as the words_ 'He's not coming for you. He doesn't care. You'll never see him again,'_ played over and over again in her mind.

* * *

"You have a visitor."

The cold, grey eyes swiveled from their reflection in the mirror to glance at the guard outside his cell. "For me?" he asked. When the guard nodded, he chuckled dryly. "Well I suppose there's a first time for everything."

When he was led to the visitor's area, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw who was waiting for him. "Hello Craig," she said coolly as he sat down.

"Shelby," he replied with a curt nod. "I must say, you were the last person I expected to be here."

"I need you to answer some questions for me."

Craig leaned back in his chair. "Let me save you some time. I'm not telling you where, when, how, or why I killed Natalie and I won't tell you where her body is, which probably eliminates everything you could ever want to know from me."

"Actually I wasn't going to ask you any of that."

"Then why are you here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because last night, a man showed up at my house. He claims to know you and Natalie. He says he knows she's still alive." She took a deep breath. "I have to know. Did you or did you not kill her?"

"Who's this man?" Craig demanded. "What's his name?"

"Did you kill her?" Shelby shouted.

"No," he replied, his gaze drifting down to the table between them. "There's a reason I never told anyone where she's buried or what the murder weapon was, no matter how much they asked. I never told anyone because there wasn't one. But no one believed me." His attention snapped back up to her. "Whoever it is, they're the key to me getting out of this hellhole! What is his name?"

"Well, see that's the problem." Shelby's voice dropped down to a whisper. "He's not quite exactly real."

"Not real." His voice became flat and emotionless as he tried to hide his disappointment. "So you're telling me the key to proving my innocence isn't real."

"Well, not exactly. He shouldn't be real. There's no reason he should exist, but he does. Are you familiar with the musical _The Phantom of the Opera_?"

"I've heard the name. Why on earth does that matter?"

"Because the main character, the Phantom, is the man I'm referring to."

Craig rolled his eyes. "I think you need to consider psychiatric help."

"You don't think I haven't considered it? Erik is driving me out of my mind."

"Erik?!" Craig hissed. That name made his blood boil and his jaw clenched. "Dark hair, white mask, face screwed up like hell?"

Shelby sighed. "That would be the Phantom of the Opera, also known as Erik."

"He's _here?!_" Craig screamed. "How?!"

"So you do know him?"

He crossed his arms. "Of course I know him. That whore Natalie ran off and married the freak. Last I saw, she was pregnant with that thing's…that thing's child, if you can call it that." Her hand flew up to her mouth. "Oh, he didn't mention that bit?" Craig asked with a smirk.

She shoved her chair backwards before fleeing the room. "Nice to see you too!" he shouted at her retreated figure as the guard pulled him out of his chair and handcuffing him.

As he was marched back to his cell, he could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. If Erik was here, then he wasn't there. And Craig had some unfinished business back there. After all, if you're going to do the time, you may as well do the crime.

* * *

Erik's fingers skillfully wove the knot he had made so many times in his life. He glanced down at the Punjab lasso in his hands, unsure if it would accomplish what he wanted it to. After searching the entire house, Erik had been unable to find the thick, sturdy rope he was used to, so this particular noose was made out of a thinner, but similar material he had found rolled up into a ball in a box of tools.

The door swung open, so Erik shoved the lasso into his pocket and grabbed the ball. "Whatcha doing with that twine?" Shelby asked before he could hide it.

"Nothing," he lied with a nonchalant shrug. "I found it."

"What were you doing in the tools?"

"I was bored."

She saw the wreckage of the loud box he had accidentally smashed earlier. "You broke my radio. I told you not to break anything. Why did you break my radio?"

"It was an accident. I accidentally turned it on, and it fell when I tried to turn it off," he explained.

She sighed. "Okay, note to self: Don't let Ghost Boy get bored. Bad things happen."

"Are you going to leave again?" he asked.

"Well I have to go to work tomorrow. I can't skip again."

Erik looked at her curiously. "I thought that's where you were today."

"Honestly, I didn't go. I went to visit an old friend of yours."

His face darkened. "Craig."

"Yes. He confirmed your story, but he told me something you haven't mentioned."

"And what was that?" Erik asked.

"He said that the last time he saw you, Natalie was pregnant. Is…is she a mom? Is she the mother of your child?"

Erik shook his head. "No. Not child. Children."

_"What?!"_

"Plural."


	10. Chapter 10

"Quit doing that!" Erik cried with frustration.

"Doing what?" she questioned as she sat up and rubbed her temples.

"Fainting every time I tell you something!"

Shelby put her hands on her hips. "Well then quit dropping humongous bombshells on me! You say the most unexpected things when I least expect it! How else am I supposed to react?"

Erik rolled his eyes. "What have I said that was so utterly shocking?"

"Well let's see now. There was the 'oh yeah, I'm a fictional character and I'll be living here until you figure out how to get me out of here', followed by the 'I know your best friend even though she's been dead for years', not to mention the 'by the way, I'm married to your dead friend'. Now you're telling me that she's a mom!" Shelby's eyes grew wide and her hand flew to her mouth as she stared at him with an expression that Erik couldn't decide was dumbfounded or horrified. "God, that means she's slept with you!"

He could feel his face get hot. "Well, that's what happens when you get married," he mumbled, embarrassed to be talking about this subject.

"But the thought of Natalie having sex with anyone is just…utterly mind blowing. I mean, for guys it was a miracle if they could kiss her! And I mean it's you! You're the freaking poster child for 'Forever Alone'!"

For a moment, he was going to ask what that last statement meant, but then Erik realized 'Forever Alone' was pretty self-explanatory. Instead, he focused on the first part of her rant. "Other guys?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"You gotta understand this world isn't like yours. I mean, here it's perfectly acceptable to date a lot of different people. Well, kind of. Some girls do it because they're slutty, but that was never Natalie. She just never found someone she liked well enough to keep a relationship with," Shelby explained. "I mean, she had very distinct boundaries that no one was allowed to cross. I mean she gave me crap because I had a handful of one-night stands."

"I don't want to know…"

"It's when you have sex with someone once, no strings attached. Usually some random stranger or someone you don't know very well."

She giggled at his slack-jawed expression. Finally he shook his head and turned away. "Did not need or want to know that," he replied.

"Okay because you now know more about my sex life than most of the people I've slept with, and you're just a whole bundle of awkward, I'm going to change the subject." She looked up at him, with a curious expression on her face. "Dare I ask just how many kids do you have?"

Erik couldn't help but smile at the thought of his children. "Two at the moment."

Her eyes tripled in size "At the moment?"

"We may possibly have another on the way, but Natalie wasn't certain. She told me the night before I wound up here."

Shelby sat heavily on the sofa, her eyes wide in disbelief, her mouth hanging open in shock. "And the two current ones?"

"Six year-old twins. Celine and Christian."

"Natalie named them. I can tell," Shelby said with a smirk. "Those were at the top of her list."

He glanced out the window. The only thing he could see was a stretch of green grass and a white picket fence, but could easily imagine his children playing there. "I hope Natalie and the twins are holding up okay," he said to himself.

"Well it's only been two days, so I'm sure they're fine."

"You don't understand!" Erik shouted. "Natalie was in my world for an entire year when she was supposedly in a coma in this world for three days!"

She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Natalie's pretty resilient. I'm sure she's okay. And I doubt it's really been a year."

He pulled away and rested his forehead against the cool glass of the window. "I just want to get back to my family."

Shelby watched him for a moment, feeling powerless. A few moments later, she remembered something that just might make him feel better. It took several minutes of digging around in her closet, but she eventually found it. "What's this?" Erik asked when she emerged and placed the long, narrow black box in front of him.

"Well, it won't help you get home, but if you really are the Angel of Music, it might help you pass the time until we figure out how to get you out of here. I haven't touched it since I was about sixteen so I don't know what kind of condition it's in, so we may be in for a surprise," she said before opening the box with a _click_.

Erik stared at the violin almost reverently for a moment before gently pulling it out of the case. He blew the dust off it then quickly getting to work trying to tune the abandoned instrument. With a seemingly magic touch, he was able to get to sound fairly good in just a matter of a few minutes. Shelby looked at him in awe. "I can't believe that thing is still usable," she whispered.

"We still don't know that," Erik replied. "Just because it hasn't broken yet doesn't mean it won't." He carefully lifted the violin to his chin, picked up the bow and began to play. Shelby gasped, utterly dumbfounded by the beauty of the sound emanating from the instrument. Erik's fingers danced across the strings with an unnatural grace and skill that even the most professional musicians would envy.

"Damn," she whispered when the last note finally faded away. "That was just…just…damn. Why didn't that thing sound like that when I used to try playing it?"

"Years of practice," Erik said with a shrug. "I didn't have much besides music for many years."

"I knew you were going to say that," Shelby replied. "I never understood the point of practicing. In my mind, you were either made to play or you weren't. I was not."

The corners of his lips turned up in a small smile. "I suppose there was a bit of natural talent as well, but as the saying goes, 'practice makes perfect'."

"Well now you have something to do tomorrow so you don't break any more of my things," Shelby responded with a smug grin.

"What can a woman do in this odd age?" Erik asked. "Are you a teacher, an actress, a governess perhaps?"

Shelby put her hands on her hips. "If you weren't you, I'd call you a sexist bastard, but since you're not used to this place, I'll cut you a bit of slack. Here a woman can do whatever the hell she wants to."

Erik decided not to push the issue. "So what is it that you do?"

"I'm a receptionist. I answer the phone, schedule appointments, and pretty much keep everything running smoothly for my boss."

"And what does he do?"

"Are you always this nosy?" she asked. Sighing again, she realized that Erik wouldn't be happy until he got an answer. "He's a plastic surgeon."

"What on earth is that?"

"He does mostly cosmetic stuff. Botox injections that take away wrinkles, implants that make your boobs bigger." She laughed out loud at his facial expression. "But his specialty is facial reconstruction for accident victims and things like that."

The second the words were out of her mouth, Erik's attention snapped up to her, and Shelby realized what she had just said and who she was said it to. His voice was light, but there was an obvious glint in his eye. "What was that now?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Mommy!" Celine screeched, running into Natalie's arms.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Natalie asked, smoothing her daughter's hair.

"Gustav took Madeleine and I can't find her and he won't tell me where she is!" she cried.

Natalie had to repress a smile. Oh the ignorant bliss of being six. She turned to Christine. "It seems we have a case of missing doll."

"Oh dear," Christine said, also attempting to hide her amusement. "Do you know where she might be?"

"Gustav took her! Him and Christian!"

"Did they now?" she questioned as the two boys ran into the room, chasing each other. "Boys…." The two froze with guilt all over their faces. "Celine can't find her doll. Do you two know where she might be?"

"No," Gustav replied, his eyes bouncing all over the room, everywhere but Natalie and Christine. "Maybe Celine just lost her."

Just then Raoul walked into the room, doll in hand. "Any particular reason this was in my study?"

Celine yanked the doll out of his grasp and cradled it lovingly before running back into Natalie's embrace. "You know," Natalie whispered loud enough for the boys, Gustav in particular, to hear. "When boys do stuff like that, it means they like you."

"EW!" Gustav and Celine squealed simultaneously before all three kids went running off in different directions.

"Do they ever stay in one place for more than five minutes?" Raoul asked.

"They're six," Christine replied with a smile. "So Natalie, is there a wedding in our future?"

Natalie smirked. "I could totally see it." She suddenly felt extremely old, picturing her daughter's wedding day. It didn't seem like her own had been that long ago; seven years seemed to have flown by.

"They're six!" Raoul protested.

"We were just like that when we were six," Christine replied with a smug smile. "And look where we wound up."

"I'll give you that one," he replied before lightly kissing his wife. Natalie could feel the smile slide off her face. The thing she missed the most about Erik was their playful banter. Raoul could sense the drop in her mood. "How are you holding up?"

"I've made it twenty-four hours without totally breaking down," Natalie said with a shrug. "That's pretty damn good in my opinion, seeing as we just reached the week-and-a-half mark. I'm thinking about going home soon. The kids keep asking me when we're going back, and I don't want to stay here forever. I won't. I can't."

"But what about the baby?" Christine asked. "What are you going to do? You couldn't be alone when the baby's born."

"We can talk about that in six months or so."

"So you're just going to leave?"

"I'm thinking about it."

"Natalie you can't go. You really shouldn't. Not in your condition."

"Christine!" Natalie shouted in frustration. "I don't need you to coddle me! I'm a full grown woman for Christ's sake! I refuse to spend my life with other people taking care of me just because..." She let the sentence trail away and instead rubbed in her eyes to stay.

Raoul sat next to her and took her hands in his. "You're not sleeping again." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

She shook her head. "I can't. Not with all the nightmares."

Christine looked at her, her warm brown eyes full of worry. "About Erik?"

"No, I've had them off and on for years. He usually keeps them away, he protects me from them. And now that he isn't here, they've come back."

"You're alone, pregnant, not sleeping, having nightmares and you want to leave?" Raoul asked in disbelief. "In what world does that make sense?!"

"I'm not asking you to understand. But where I'm from, women are a whole lot more independent and aren't supposed to rely on men nearly as much as they do here. I was raised to rely only on myself. And now that Erik's gone, I realize I've grown too dependent on him. I can't stand feeling so helpless."

"Natalie, you love him, it's only natural that you're upset," Christine replied, sitting on her other side. "That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Love is nothing more than a drug. The worst one of all because you don't realize it, until they take it away and you're left with nothing. And let me tell you, withdrawal fucking sucks. If it weren't for the kids, I'd say I wish I'd never met Erik at all," Natalie spat. "It would hurt a lot less."

"Natalie, you're just saying that because you're tired. You don't really mean it," Christine protested.

"Maybe I do!" she shouted. She stood up and stormed out before her friends could stop her. What Natalie wasn't saying was that she couldn't be sad anymore, it hurt too much. But she couldn't feel nothing, so she was angry. Angry that Erik abandoned her. Angry that she had no answers. Angry that Christine and Raoul spent so much time hovering over her when she just wanted to be left alone. Angry that she couldn't keep control of her own life.

"Oof!" Natalie gasped when something slammed into her stomach. She picked up Christian and swung him over her shoulder.

"Mom!" he squealed. "Put me down!"

"Make me!" she replied, an involuntary grin creeping up on her face. Even though everything, her children could still make her smile. Her son wiggled out of her grasp and nearly fell to the floor, but Natalie was able to grab his waist so he was hanging upside down in her arms. "Careful kiddo," she said as she flipped him right-side up and put him on the ground.

Christian had a mischievous twinkle in his eye. The next thing Natalie knew, she was rolling across the floor playing with her son, her anger gone. "Mom stop!" he shrieked as she grabbed him and began to tickle him.

A sudden weight crashed onto her back, and a pair of arms wrapped around her neck. "I got her Chris!" Celine cried.

"No, I've got YOU!" Natalie shouted, snagging her daughter as well. She pulled them into a hug before letting them go.

"Run or she'll get us again!" Christian ordered grabbing his sister's hand and the two ran off as Natalie pretended to swipe at them. When they disappeared from view, Natalie stood up and brushed herself off, laughing at her children.

Her smile vanished as she looked at the window, and for a moment she thought she saw Erik looking back through the glass. She blinked and with crushing disappointment realized he wasn't there. She sighed and placed her palm against the window pane.

_"I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_  
_This pain is just too real_  
_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_  
_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_  
_And I held your hand through all of these years_  
_But you still have_  
_All of me_

_You used to captivate me_  
_By your resonating night_  
_Now I'm bound by the life you left behind_  
_Your face it haunts_  
_My once pleasant dreams_  
_Your voice it chased away_  
_All the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_  
_This pain is just too real_  
_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_  
_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_  
_And I held your hand through all of these years_  
_But you still have_  
_All of me_

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_  
_But though you're still with me_  
_I've been alone all along"_

Natalie glared at the window beforereplacing her smile and following the sound of her children's playful shouts from the next room. She was learning that if she took it one day at a time, she could handle this.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hey, so I feel bad. Lots of sulking and not much going on besides sulking, and it's kind of boring. I guess I'm just trying to drag it out, since I've decided this is going to be the last Erik/Natalie story and I don't want to let it go. So I have decided this and the next chapter we're going to have a lot of fun at Erik's expense (Erik don't look at me like that). Then after that, we're going to get this show on the road, and really get this story moving. Just remember, everything comes with a price, and things will need to get even worse for them before they get better. Isn't that the rule of the world? But for now, we tease the Phantom mercilessly!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"No, no, absolutely not!" Shelby shouted.

"But why not?"

"Because that would cost an arm, a leg, a lung, a kidney, probably an eyeball, _PLUS_ my soul! I know you don't have that kind of money and I sure as hell don't! And if I did do you think I'd spend my days answering a phone?" she asked. "Because I wouldn't! If I had enough money that I could afford to pay for a fictional character to get facial reconstruction, I'd use it to quit my job and live in a mansion on the beach!"

"Is there any way at all?"

"Erik, I've been telling you since last night,_ NO_!" To put her point across, she grabbed a book off a nearby shelf and flung it at his face. "And that's not going to change!"

He deflected the blow. "Very well, message received," he mumbled, obviously still disappointed with the answer. After picking the red hardcover book off the ground, he studied the cover. "What's this?"

"I dunno what is it?" He flipped the book around, and Shelby burst out laughing. "Of course it was _that_ book."

"What is it?"

"Susan Kay's _Phantom_. It's one version of your life."

Erik flipped through the pages, his brow furrowed. "One version? There are others?" She held up a finger, signaling him to wait a moment. She scanned the bookshelf for a few seconds before pulling another book down and tossing it to him. "That's the original," she said before walking into her bedroom.

"Gaston Leroux's _Phantom of the Opera_," he muttered, reading the title aloud. He had just opened it and scanned the first page, when Shelby walked back in with a box, which she dropped on the table. "What on earth is that?"

"This used to be mine and Natalie's. Once upon a time, it was our Phan box."

"Your what?"

"Just look. It's all about you."

He pulled out a small black box. "'The Ultimate Classic Horror Collection'? Why is this in here?"

"Open it."

"ACK! WHAT IS THAT THING?!" he shouted, dropping the box.

At that, Shelby burst out laughing. When she finally got control of herself, she began to sing menacingly in his ear. _"Like yellow parchment is his skin. A great black hole serves as the nose that never grew_."

"That thing is supposed to be _me_?!"

"I'm pretty sure Lon Chaney would take major offense to that. Besides, that movie's like ninety years old. You've gotten much better looking since then." She handed him another box. "I don't have all of the movies. I don't have the forties version or the sixties cartoon."

"So which is this?"

"1987. You sell your soul to the devil so you can become immortal so your music will live on. This one is the 1990's version. And in the eighties, _Phantom_ became a hit musical that's still running today."

Erik pulled out another box. On the front was his mirror image. The man looked exactly like Erik, and it unnerved him. "What…?"

"That was our favorite. The 2004 version based on the musical starring the ever-delicious Gerard Butler. Oh my God, he is so gorgeous, I swear, the first time I saw this movie, I nearly swooned."

"Shelby, I…I look just like him. I mean, he looks just like me."

"You…you do?" she asked, not meeting his eyes. "I don't see it."

His jaw dropped. "Are you…are you…I mean, do you I'm…?" he sputtered, unable to get the question out.

Instead of answering him, she tossed another box over her shoulder. "_Love Never Dies_, yuck. Ben Lewis totally creeped me out. I swear he never blinked that entire performance." After rummaging for a few more minutes, she handed him yet another box. "Here we are: Natalie's favorite. The _25__th__ Anniversary Edition_. She loved Ramin. He could go from incredibly tender to completely unhinged in the blink of an eye, and she thought that was so cool."

"I hope I'm her favorite now. If I'm getting upstaged by some imposter, then I don't think I could face her again."

Shelby checked her watch. "Oh shoot! I've got to go! Did you want to watch these while I was gone?"

"Might as well," Erik shrugged. "I can see how much you really know about me and how much is fiction."

She gave him a thirty second lesson on how to work what she called a 'DVD player'. "All right I got to go. Behave yourself. You know the rules. If you break my TV or the DVD player, I'll break your face."

Realizing she never answered his question, Erik stared at the door long after Shelby left. He loved Natalie with all his heart, but he had never met a woman besides her who could quite possibly think he was attractive.

After a while, he shook his head. Not his problem, he still wasn't planning on staying. He popped the silver circle (which he was assuming was a DVD) with his lookalike on it into the DVD player. It was time to figure out what these people really thought of him; although he wasn't quite sure he wanted to watch that first one.


	13. Chapter 13

_Alright, I'll admit it. I lied to you all. At the beginning of the story, I told you there weren't going to be any new characters, but in order for Erik to experience full modern day society, I've added two new ones that you'll meet in this chapter. But they won't be too horribly important. But here's Erik's opinions on the various Phantom movies. Just to let you all know, I am a diehard Gerik lover, but I needed to react like Erik would. So no hard feelings there. Anyway, here's the last of the sulking chapters, so starting next chapter, things are actually going to start happening, and Erik and Natalie are going to focus more on getting reunited. But for now, another lighthearted chapter, with the intention of making you laugh. Read and Review!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

Shelby was so glad that when her cell went off, that it was during her lunch break. "Erik what's wrong?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

"An angry mob!" he shouted, causing her to move the phone about a foot away from her ear. "How dare they!"

That was the last thing she expected to hear. "Excuse me? Are you talking about a movie?"

"First they make me look like something that would disgust the Devil himself, then they make me look like an utter fool, not to mention the awful acting and over exaggeration of everything, but then they have the stupid thing so it ends where I get beaten to death by an angry mob! I mean, _what the hell?!_"

"Erik darling," Shelby replied, trying to suppress a giggle. "Take a deep breath and calm down. It's just a movie. It's a movie made for entertainment, nothing more. And it's a pretty crude one at that. During the 1920's, all monster movies had one rule: the monster had to die a violent death."

"_MONSTER?!"_

"You're not calming down," Shelby called in a sing-song voice. "Anyway, I heard a rumor that the original ending was you dying of a broken heart after Christine left you, which is how the book ended. But that was unacceptable back then, so they re-filmed it with that ending."

"You said I was a monster!" The accusation in his voice was crystal clear.

"No, I said the main character was a monster. You said yourself it wasn't right, so therefore it can't be you." She glanced at her watch. "Look, my lunch is almost over, if you're done ranting, I need to go. Just watch the 2004 version."

"I did," he hissed, obviously not happy with that one either.

"Oh for the love of…" she sighed. "What's wrong with that one?"

"Where would you like me to begin? First of all, whoever was supposed to be me, had very little musical ability whatsoever, and was absolutely pathetic! Secondly, I'd like to think I have a little bit more of a personality than just dark and brooding. And not to mention the utter ridiculousness that was supposed to be my opera! I kept expecting them to rip off their clothes and have sex on the middle of the stage!"

"Granted it is a little promiscuous, but what do you expect from Joel Schumacher? He's the guy who put nipples in the Batman costume!"

There was silence on the other end for a few moments. "I don't want to know," Erik finally replied.

"Wait, a second, I thought 'Don Juan' was _supposed_ to be sexy."

"My opera had more class than that! It's an outrage and an insult!"

"Alright, alright, Jesus you're picky. Haven't you ever heard of interpretation?"

"Well they interpreted it wrong!"

Shelby sighed again. "Listen, Ghost Boy, I've got a few more hours here then I'll come home and you can whine to your heart's content. Why don't you go ahead and watch the _25__th __Anniversary_ one? It's probably more your style. Obviously you're not a fan of Gerik or Lerik."

"Of what?"

"Gerik is the proper term for Gerard Butler as the Phantom. Lerik is the original Leroux Phantom, but I use also it for the 1925 one because of Lon Chaney. You'd probably prefer Rerik, or Ramin Karimloo. He's got a bit more personality. But I've got to go, just quit whining, we can discuss this when I get home."

Erik growled. "Fine. But don't expect me to watch that abomination with this 'Lerik' character again."

"Did you realize how close Chaney is to Chagny? It's almost like a distant relative of Raoul's is pretending to be you!" The line went dead in her hand, causing Shelby to snicker. Obviously Erik wasn't a happy camper.

"Hey Shelby are you feeling alright?"

She turned and saw her boss, Doctor Daniel Sullivan, walking in the door. "Yeah Dan, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You've been awfully distracted today, it's like you haven't been here mentally at all."

"Look, I'm sorry. Things have been awfully chaotic at home. My, uh, French cousin is in town, he's staying with me and it's been nuts. I'll try and stay more focused."

Dan nodded. "Good."

Shelby stared at his retreating figure and bit her lip. "Hey, I was wondering if you could possibly do me a favor," she called.

He turned and looked back. "Yes?"

"Listen, my cousin, he's got this condition, and was wondering if you could fix it. Except he couldn't afford it if you could, and I'm not entirely sure you could do anything," she babbled. "But maybe you could just take a look and see if there was something you could do?"

"Well what kind of condition are we talking about?"

"It's, well…" she thought about it for a moment, wondering how to describe Erik. "Have you ever heard of _Phantom of the Opera_?"

"I saw the stage show a few months ago," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"He's like that." Dan stared at her. "Honestly. It's half his face, he wears a mask, and he's even got the sour temper because of it."

"Shelby, if this is some kind of joke…"

"I swear it's not! I swear to God I'm not joking."

He sighed. "Alright, why not? I've got a little time tomorrow afternoon. Why don't you bring him by around three?"

"Thank you so much! You don't know how much this'll mean to him!"

"What's his name?"

"Erik Destler." Dan's eyes narrowed. Apparently he knew a bit of non-Andrew Lloyd Webber Phantom. "His parents have a sick sense of humor," she explained quickly.

"I see…" But she could tell that he was back to thinking this was a joke.

* * *

Erik watched as 'Christine' died in 'his' arms, repressing the urge to laugh at the utter notion that any of this could have ever remotely happened. Once upon another time, he might have had some feelings for Christine, but whatever they had been paled in comparison to his love for Natalie.

He looked up as the door swung open and Shelby walked in. "Hey, how are you doing?" She glanced at the television. "Ew, _Love Never Dies_. The music was alright but the storyline sucked."

"To say the least," Erik muttered. "This was awful. And I thought the other two were bad, but then I watched this."

"Well now you know what we say about you. Are any of them remotely close to what really happened?"

"I suppose if you combine that a bit of that 'Gerik' one with most of that 'Rerik', you'd get close."

"Aw, look at you, using phangirl terms!" Shelby exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you! But now you get to help me put this stuff away."

Erik rolled his eyes. "And why should I do that?"

"Because I said so!" she replied. She shoved the box in his hands. "Honestly, haven't you heard of chivalry? You, being a proper gentleman, will do it because I'm the damsel in distress!"

He groaned. "Fine, where do you want me to put it?"

Shelby led him in to the closet. "Put it up on that shelf. But be careful or you'll knock that other box down."

Just as Erik was about to put the box exactly where she wanted it, they heard the front door slam open. The utter unexpectedness of it, caused Erik to drop the box in his hands as well as knock down the one Shelby had warned him about. As the contents clattered everywhere, he looked to Shelby, but she was just as astonished as he was. She put a finger to her lips. "Stay in here and don't make a sound," she hissed, before stepping out and slamming the door.

"HEY SHELBY!" an unfamiliar voice rang out, footsteps approaching the closet.

"Jesus, you scared me!" came Shelby's reply. "What are you doing here?"

"I think the better question is why do you have a man hiding in your closet?"


	14. Chapter 14

Natalie, Christine, and Raoul watched the kids chase the ball across the lawn. A stray kick sent the ball flying at them. She managed to grab it midair before it hit her. "Nice catch," Raoul said. She smiled before bouncing the ball on her knee for a few moments.

"Whoa, where'd you learn to do that?" Christian asked in awe.

"I used to play soccer when I was little," she replied before kicking the ball back to the kids. "Well, sort of. I was the benchwarmer. Everyone else played but I sat on the side because I wasn't very good so I taught myself to do that."

"That's so cool!" Celine squealed.

As the kids resumed their game, Natalie turned back to her friends. "I'm taking the kids home tomorrow."

Raoul stared at her. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"I can't stay here any longer," she replied. "I don't need this anymore. I just want to go home, and I know the kids do too."

"Natalie…"

She put her hands on her hips. "Don't you dare 'Natalie' me Raoul! I know what I'm saying and I'm saying that I'm out of here. Please I have to do this." The Vicomte looked like he was going to argue more, so Natalie kept going. "Besides, you yourself said I was too stubborn for you force me to do anything."

"That doesn't mean I can't try," he replied, just as determined to keep her here as Natalie was to leave.

"Raoul, it sounds like she's made up her mind," Christine pointed out. "As much as I agree with you, Natalie _is_ a full grown woman and can make decisions for herself."

"So it's decided then!"

"Natalie…" Raoul started, but she put a finger to his lips.

"It's been decided," she insisted.

* * *

"So there goes your joke," Shelby said, opening the closet and pulling Erik out of the closet and rolling her eyes. "And you say I'm immature." She kept her fingers crossed, praying to God that Erik didn't get them both locked away in an asylum. "Erik, this is my friend Ryan. Ryan, this is Erik."

"Would you excuse us for one moment?" Ryan asked, before pulling Shelby aside. "OhmygawdhelooksjustlikeGerar dButler!" he squealed.

"My gaydar detector is going on the fritz," she said with a giggle. "You might want to tone it down a bit."

"You doing him?"

She shook her head. "He's my cousin," she replied, using the same explanation she gave her boss. "He's from France and is staying me for a while. He's super immature and since Halloween is today and they don't celebrate it, he decided to dress up." Hopefully that covered the mask bit so Ryan wouldn't ask.

"Okay." He looked back over at Erik who seemed utterly confused. "Well since he's your cousin, can I do him?"

"Oh Ryan," she sighed. "He doesn't play for that team. Besides, he's married with kids. You have no chance with him."

"Damn. Oh well, it was worth a shot."

"So what on earth are you doing here?"

"You forgot?" There was audible hurt in his voice.

Shelby immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry, it's been so crazy. Erik may have forgotten to mention he was coming, so it's been complete and utter chaos here. What did I forget?"

"You promised that you would go to the game tonight with me!"

"Oh right, right!" she said, now remembering making plans. Shelby turned back to the Phantom. "Erik, I forgot Ryan and I had plans for tonight. Would you mind staying here on your own?"

"Just bring him with!" Ryan interjected. "The more the merrier!"

Erik held his hands up in what looked like a gesture of surrender. "Don't let me intrude." Shelby could tell he was just as worried as she was about him saying something stupid and blowing their cover.

"Please I insist!"

He turned to Shelby, hoping for some excuse, but she knew Ryan wasn't going to let him slip away. "You heard the man," she said, looping her arms through Erik's. "He insists. C'mon Ryan, we'll take my car." She leaned in close to Erik. "Just follow my lead," she hissed in his ear.

She pulled him through into the garage, and nudged Erik to get him to quit gawking at her car. "Sorry Ryan, but you've been demoted to backseat. Erik you can sit shotgun." Realizing Erik probably had no clue what she meant, she opened her door, then motioned for him to do the same on the other side. "Put your seatbelt on," she ordered, then did it so he could mimic her. When she put the key in the ignition and turned it on, Erik's eyes grew wide, and as she began to back out, she realized he honestly looked slightly scared. The poor guy really had never seen a car in his life before.

"Get carsick?" Ryan asked from the back, noting the color draining from Erik's face as they gained speed. "Don't worry, we aren't going very far."

In an attempt to calm Erik down, Shelby turned on the radio, hoping the music was enough to distract him.

"_When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now  
When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone  
The face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone  
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok  
I miss you"_

Erik's face immediately soured and Shelby realized the song probably reminded him of Natalie. "You can use that button to change the song." Erik instantly began hitting it repeatedly.

_"Never mind, I'll find someone like you  
I wish nothing but the best for you, too"_

"_Maybe I was naïve,  
Got lost in your eyes  
And never really had a chance  
My mistake, I didn't know to be in love  
You had to fight to have the upper hand  
I had so many dreams  
About you and me  
Happy endings"_

"_I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me"_

With every press of the button, his scowl deepened. He froze when he hit a familiar melody but seemed to get even more upset when he heard the lyrics. "That's my song," he growled under his breath. "How dare they!"

"_Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies  
And ways to say you died_

_I wanna live a thousand lives with you_  
_I wanna be the one you're dying to love..._  
_But you don't want to"_

"Ew change it!" Ryan shouted from the backseat. "Phantom hasn't been this Spanish-ized since Antonio Banderas and we all know what a flop that was. Honestly, you can't be French with a Spanish accent."

"Watch the gaydar Ryan!" Shelby said with a shake of her head.

Erik was also very unhappy. "Are there any songs that aren't utterly depressing?!" he cried in exasperation before hitting the button again.

"_Eh Sexy lady  
Op op op op oppan Gangnam Style  
Eh Sexy lady"_

Shelby frantically turned the radio off before Erik could have another outburst. "Hey I was jamming out back here!" Ryan protested, still mid-dance.

"That was an insult to music!" Erik retorted. "If that song were written…"

"We're here!" Shelby announced to prevent any fighting. "Let's go boys!"

* * *

"This is barbaric!" Erik shouted over the roar of the crowd.

"This is football!" Ryan exclaimed with glee before screaming "Let's go defense! WHOO C'MON GO FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!"

He turned to Shelby. "This is entertainment?"

She grinned. "You bet! Although I think you'll like the halftime show better. That's when the marching band comes out and plays."

"When's that?"

"Halfway through the game. The clock says a minute and a half left, but this is football so it'll be closer to ten." Erik groaned. "Sorry dude, I promised Ryan I'd go. This is the first game his brother gets to be starting lineman and his sister is in the band."

Luckily for Erik, the ten minutes turned out to be closer to be about five. A mass crowd of people in matching uniforms and hats walked out onto the grass and was soon playing. "Happy now?" Shelby asked.

"That trombone is wrong," he said, pointing out one of the musicians.

"Really?" Shelby asked. "How can you tell? I can barely hear the band over the crowd."

"Their footing is off and their slide doesn't even remotely match the movement of the others. Not to mention they look like they aren't entirely sure where they're supposed to be. They keep staggering around after everyone else has stopped."

"I think that's my sister," Ryan cried.

"That doesn't change the fact she's still off."

The crowd surrounding them roared as the players ran back onto the field. Erik's hands flew to cover his ears. "I'm going over there." He pointed to a deserted patch of grass a ways away from the mass of people. "I'm going to go deaf if I stay here." Shelby started to protest, but he ran down the stairs, desperate for a few minutes of solitude.

He took a deep breath, glad to have a moment to himself. "Erik?" he thought a familiar voice called.

His eyes widened and he looked around frantically, but she was nowhere in sight. "Natalie?" Erik sighed. "Great, now I'm hearing things."

"You alright?" He turned and saw Ryan standing there. Erik nodded. "That's a cool mask. Can I see it?" Before Erik could protest, he got ahold of the edge and pulled it away. As Ryan backed away, Erik reached up to cover his face, but someone grabbed ahold of his wrist.

"Don't touch it! You'll ruin it!" Shelby shouted. She put her hands on her hips and turned to Ryan. "I hope you're happy. It took me two hours to do that make-up and you ruined it! We were going to scare the crap out of you. Way to spoil the joke."

"I thought you forgot?"

"It was part of the joke," Erik said, leaping at the chance to help cover this.

"Well it's a damn good job, I'll give you that."

* * *

Natalie froze at the sight before her. Erik stood alone in a grassy field. "Erik!" she cried. He turned but his gaze passed over her like he couldn't even see her.

"Natalie?"

She reached for him but suddenly everything vanished and she was somewhere else. Natalie screamed as she saw Craig standing over her, before he plunged the knife into her stomach.

When she opened her eyes she realized she was safe. That was until she looked at the rest of the bed, saw the sheets were soaked in blood, and began to scream for real. The door flew open and she saw Christine's face drain of color. "Raoul call a doctor!" she shouted before running to Natalie's side.

Natalie could already feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. "What's wrong with me?" she sobbed. "My poor baby."

"It's going to be alright. You're going to be just fine," Christine cooed, pulling Natalie against her.

"No, no it's not. It's never going to be alright again."

* * *

"NATALIE!"

Shelby flew out of bed and saw Erik look at her, his eyes full of fear and panic. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"She's in pain. Lot's of pain," Erik cried. "She needs me!"

"Erik, it was just a dream."

"No, it was real!" he protested. "I need to get back to her! I have to help her!"

"Look at me! There's nothing you can do!"

"Natalie I'm sorry," he moaned. "I'm so sorry."


	15. Chapter 15

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Shelby cried before tugging the violin out of Erik's hands. When he began to protest, she packed it back in its case. "I understand you're upset and stressed but how the hell can you sit there and play like that? You're making me want to tear my heart out, and I freaking laughed at the ending of _Titanic_. I laughed!"

"I don't know what the significance of that is."

Shelby sighed. "It's a movie. A big ship sank. A thousand people died, creating the most tragic love story since Romeo and Juliet. Long story short, I'm pretty much heartless. But if you keep playing like that, you're going to make me bawl." Erik turned away, obviously still upset. He had been inconsolable all of last night and spent most of the morning with the violin. "Look, it was just a dream. I'm sure everything's perfectly fine."

"It wasn't 'just a dream'!" he cried. "Natalie needed me! She was in pain and I wasn't there to help her! Of course I'm upset!"

"How do you know for sure that it really happened?" she questioned.

"You know how you just know some things? This is one of those things I just know."

She knew better than to argue with him. "Listen, you obviously have some issues you need to deal with, and I can't handle any more of that depressing music. So I'll show how we cope with our problems. As the saying goes, 'When in America, do as the Americans do'."

"I thought the saying was 'When in Rome...'?"

Shelby smiled. "Not in America. We expect the entire world to accommodate us." She put her arm over his shoulders and led him towards the basement. "Now since you're a first-timer, we'll start you off relatively easy then have you graduate to the harder stuff depending on how well you take it."

"Take what well?" he asked cautiously as she brought him downstairs.

"Welcome to my cabinet of guilty pleasure!" she announced, pulling it open with a flourish. One look at Erik's face made her think over what she had said. "I did _not_ mean it like that!"

"So what is this stuff?"

"Have you ever heard of a GameBoy?" she asked with a smirk.

* * *

Christine knew Natalie wasn't taking the news well at all. Her friend had become distant and cut herself off from everyone. When she was forced to interact with someone, her conversations and movements were mechanical, like she wasn't really there, like she was simply going through the motions. Her usually bright eyes had become dull and glassy. It seemed like Natalie wasn't capable of emotion anymore and just shut down.

"How's she doing?" she asked as Raoul walked into the room.

He sighed. "No different. I'm running out of ideas to help her. Hopefully she'll just snap out of it soon. I'm worried about her."

"Maybe if I go talk to her…"

Raoul shrugged. "I don't know what good it'll do, but it certainly can't hurt."

As Christine approached Natalie's room, she thought she heard the sound of shattering glass. She opened the door and saw her friend in front of a broken mirror cradling one hand. Christine sat next to her, saw the cuts, and realized she had punched the mirror. "What's wrong with me?" Natalie asked as Christine gingerly began to pull the shards of glass out of her hand.

"Nothing's wrong with you," Christine insisted then wrapped a handkerchief around Natalie's hand to stop the bleeding. "Why would you think there was?"

Natalie gave a humorless chuckle. "I don't know. Perhaps it's the fact my husband left me while I was pregnant, then I went and lost the baby, all in the matter of two weeks. Maybe it'd be better if I just died."

Christine slapped her across the face, not hard enough to actually hurt her, but enough to make her point clear. "Don't you _dare_ start talking like that!" she cried. "You have two children that need you. You can't abandon them. And if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that no matter where he is, no matter what he's doing right now, he still loves you."

"If that's the case, then where is he?" she demanded. "If he loves me, then why did he leave me?"

"I'm sure there's some logical explanation."

"People don't just vanish into thin air Christine!" Natalie shouted. Then her face changed, almost like she knew where he was, but shook her head. "Can you leave me alone for a while?" she asked quietly.

"Natalie…"

"I promise I won't do anything stupid. I just want some time by myself to think. If it'll make you feel better, I'll leave the door open and everything." She sighed. "Right now I just want to curl up in a corner and eat my weight in Oreos." A ghost of a smile flashed across her face for a brief moment at Christine's expression. "It's an American thing."

She hesitated before nodding. "Alright."

* * *

Natalie paced back and forth. "People don't vanish into thin air," she murmured under her breath. How many times had she and Erik bickered about that? According to him, she had disappeared in the opera fire, and Craig had vanished before their very eyes when he had been shot.

But it couldn't be possible. She could travel back and forth because she was born in her world but belonged here with Erik. He didn't belong in her world. Besides, she only was sucked back and forth when she was seriously hurt. Erik disappeared in the middle of the night. There had to be some other explanation.

* * *

"So what's this thing called again?" Erik asked, examining the cookie.

"It's an Oreo," Shelby said, cramming another in her mouth. "Whenever Natalie or I got upset, we'd go to the other's house, eat a truckload of these and play video games until we felt better." A beeping sound emanated from the rectangles each had in their hands. "Damn, for someone who's never played Pokémon in their life, you are kicking my butt."

Erik shrugged. "It's not that hard. I'm just hitting random buttons because I don't know what they do."

"Well maybe I should try that because it's certainly working for you. Damn, you beat me again!"

"So now what?"

Shelby glanced on her watch. "Oh we need to get going soon. You need to get cleaned up. You look and smell like you've been wearing the same clothes for three days."

"Get going? Where are we going?" he asked in confusion.

"You are going to go shower. Then I managed to get you an appointment with my boss regarding your face."

"I thought you said no?"

"Honestly, I don't think he can do anything to help you. But since you don't seem to take my opinion, I'll let him tell you. Besides, he's not fixing your face; he's just assessing the situation. But first you need to shower."

He followed her back upstairs. "A shower?"

"It's like a bath," she explained. "But you desperately need one. You reek." She pushed him into her bathroom, and pulled a towel out of a closet. "It's that thing. You turn the knob and water comes down over you like a waterfall. Think you can handle that?"

"Doesn't sound too hard."

"I think I can find some clothes for you. You need something clean to wear, and honestly you can't wear clothes like that out in public anyway."

"It was fine last night."

"Last night was Halloween. Everyone was dressed up."

"Halloween?"

"It's like a masquerade once a year at the end of October. Didn't you see everyone dressed up weirdly?"

"All of you are dressed weirdly to me," he replied with a shrug. "So I guess I just didn't notice."

After she walked out, Erik examined the shower. He stepped inside and turned the knob like Shelby instructed, and true to her word, water came spurting out of the wall. "HOLY FU-"he screamed.

"Keep turning the knob to get warm water!" Shelby called over his swearing. "It'll take a minute or two. Sorry, I should've warned you!"

When he was finally clean, Erik stepped out and quickly dried himself off. There was knock on the door, so he quickly wrapped the towel around himself just as Shelby let herself in. "A little privacy?" he cried, reaching up to cover his face, but she didn't seem bothered.

"Sorry. Here's some clothes. I think they'll fit you. They're even black since that seems to be your color of choice."

"Where did you get these?" he asked.

"I had them lying around," she replied with a dismissive shrug.

"Let me get this straight, you live alone but you just happen to have men's clothing lying around?"

She sighed. "My fiancé left them behind when he left. Well, when I kicked him out. I found out a month before our wedding he was sleeping with someone else."

"I'm sorry, that had to be awful."

"I'm over it," she said with a shrug. "The only reason I still have those is cause I've been too lazy to burn them." She glanced up and when Erik realized he was still undressed and she gazing at his bare chest and her eyes were going lower, he began to blush furiously. "Oh right, you might want these," Shelby said shoving the clothes in his hands. "Hurry up, you've got an appointment," she called as she shut the door.

"You're the one who keeps slowing me up," he muttered. "If she let me have some privacy, I'd be ready by now."


	16. Chapter 16

Shelby froze when Erik emerged from the bathroom. The black T-shirt she gave him fit snugly, showing off his muscular chest through the fabric, and the black jeans…well… they complimented him nicely, she decided, trying very hard not to notice. "You ready to go?" she asked.

"I suppose so," he replied in his rich, smooth voice. If chocolate had a sound, it'd sound like Erik. Damn, how could one human being be so sexy? Shelby wondered. Then she shook her head. He was Natalie's husband, and even though she hadn't seen her friend in years that was just one of those things you respected.

"C'mon then, we need to get out of here. It's about a twenty minute drive, and since he's seeing you out of the kindness of his heart, it'd be extremely rude to be late." She shoved Erik out the door, paused, then grabbed the Gameboy and dropped it in his lap. "Here, we'll be going on the interstate and I'm pretty sure you're going to want something to distract you." As she hopped into the car, she saw the question on Erik's face. "And no, you don't want to know what the interstate is until we get there."

About ten minutes later, she turned onto the exit to the interstate. The more pressure she put on the gas pedal, the greener Erik's face became. "Oh yes, this is the interstate. I told you, you wouldn't like it," she said. "It's the easiest way to travel long distances because of the higher speeds you can go."

"Just how fast are we going exactly?" he asked.

Shelby glanced at the speedometer. "We are going seventy five at the moment."

His eyes widened. "Seventy five what?"

"Not scared are you?" she snickered. "Seventy five miles an hour. Just take a deep breath and close your eyes. We're almost there, but no panic attacks allowed in my car."

"This isn't possible," he muttered under his breath.

"Says the time-traveling fictional character," she retorted. ''Luckily for you, we're turning off now. It's right up here. Here we are. Let's go Ghost Boy."

She led him inside, and found Dan waiting inside for them. Her boss raised an eyebrow at Erik before sighing. "Alright Shelby, hasn't this gone far enough?"

"Excuse me?" she asked in surprise. "I thought you were okay with doing this."

"I agreed to help your cousin because he had a deformity. I did not agree to have my time wasted by you and some guy in a costume," he snapped.

Shelby reached up and ripped Erik's mask off his face. The Phantom grabbed her wrist with a snarl, but it was too late. He tried to pull the mask out of her grip, but she wouldn't let go. With his free hand, he reached up to hide his face, but Shelby grabbed it. "Look at him Dan!" Shelby ordered. "That's not make-up. That's not a costume. That's real!"

Dan and Erik started at each other in horror. "That's…that's real?" her boss stuttered.

Erik turned away. "Unfortunately." He ripped his mask out of Shelby's hand. "Let me spare you the pain of having to look at it any longer."

"I've never seen anything like it before," Dan said breathlessly. His scientific curiosity was clearly visible as he cautiously approached Erik, who remained frozen although he clearly wanted nothing more than to run and hide in an opera house basement. "Is it just that one spot?"

"Not quite," Shelby replied. "Erik, show him." Erik looked at her with pleading eyes, begging her not to force him to give up what shred of dignity he felt he had left. "If you want him to help you, he has to know exactly what he's dealing with."

He hesitated, before slowly removing his wig, his eyes closed so he wouldn't have to see their reactions. "Jesus," Dan whispered. "And you've been like this your entire life?"

"Yes."

"I…I don't know what, if anything, I can do. I don't even know what this is, what it'd be called. This should be brought to a dermatologist for study. Find out what it is, how to prevent it, if it's just a fluke, if it's genetic, if it will lead to something worse."

"I don't want it studied," Erik snapped. "I want it gone. Can you fix it or not?"

Dan paused for a long while. "I've never seen anything like this ever. It would be like nothing I've ever done before. I'm not entirely sure if I could change it for the better or just make it worse, and that's not a risk I am willing to take."

That sounded like a no to Shelby, but the Phantom wasn't going to accept that answer. "But what if I am?" Erik asked suddenly. "What if I'm willing to agree to it despite the risks?"

"If something were to go wrong, well, I don't think I could have that on my conscious."

"I've had to live with this my entire life!" Erik shouted. "You are my one chance to get rid of this cursed face. I would do anything to get rid of it! _Anything!_"

Shelby turned to Dan, wondering how he was going to reply. The doctor was chewing on his lower lip, obviously thinking hard on what to say. "Well…"

* * *

Today was the worst day so far. Natalie felt nothing, just empty. She couldn't even find the energy to get out of bed. Raoul and Christine had come in several times trying to talk to her, but Natalie hadn't even processed what they said to her, and eventually they gave up.

She wasn't sure how long she had been lying there when the door opened again. Natalie didn't move, just waited for someone to try and coax her out of bed again. Instead she felt something wiggle into her arms and snuggle up against her. Forcing herself to come back to reality, Natalie realized it was her daughter. "Mommy," she whispered. "Are you sick again?"

"Not quite sweetheart," she replied, hugging her daughter. "Not quite."

"Then how come you're still in bed?" Celine asked. "It's not nighttime anymore."

Natalie had to smile. Being six was so simple. She thought for a moment on how to reply to her daughter's question in terms she could understand. "Because I'm tired." Tired of life, tired of feeling abandoned, a voice in her head finished.

"Oh," Celine said. They were silent for a moment. "Are you going to stay here all day?"

"I suppose not," Natalie answered, realizing how pathetic she was for letting her kids see how weak she was. She sat up swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "C'mon sweetheart, let's go. You're right, I can't stay here all day."

"Do you want to come play with me and Madeleine?" Celine asked, holding up the doll.

"I would love to," Natalie replied with a soft smile then knelt next to her daughter. It was amazing how her children could make her feel better when she felt her worse.

* * *

Erik couldn't believe it. Finally after all these years of misery, he was finally going to be able to change his cursed face. Shelby walked out of the kitchen with two brown bottles in her hands. "Here you go," she said, offering him. "I thought since you're so happy about your surgery, we'd celebrate with a beer." She tapped her bottle against his. "Here's to two more days before you get a new, hopefully nicer face!" Erik cautiously took a sip and felt the burn of alcohol. He had an aversion to alcohol for a long time after drinking too much one night, but as long as it was just one…

Several hours later, he found himself laughing, yet he wasn't quite sure why. Then there was a woman pressing herself against him, her lips against him. She pulled him so she landed on her back on the couch, and Erik toppled on top of her. "I love you, Natalie," he whispered. Suddenly she shoved him away, and he crashed to the floor. Shelby stormed off and disappeared into her room, as Erik realized the table was covered in empty bottles. So much for just one. A sober corner of his brain realized what he had said and what he had done. "Oops," he whispered, before everything went fuzzy.

* * *

_Alright anyone else mad at Erik or is it just me? He's off worrying about his face and having fun and Natalie is sobbing her heart out? Anyway, just wanted to check in, say hi, cause I feel like I haven't had much to say to you for a while. So hi! Thanks for reading still! Read and review cause it fuels my ego cause I know that someone actually likes my writing. XD _

_~nibblesfan_


	17. Chapter 17

Natalie bolted down the hall into her room, slamming the door behind her. She was lucky she hadn't run into Christine or Raoul or one of their many servants in her mad dash. Her heart was racing and the room was beginning to spin, but she somehow managed to get into the bathroom and lock the door before falling to her knees beside the bathtub.

_"Oh my God, that sucked!" Natalie whined, slamming her locker shut. "I know that I failed that stupid test, and if I fail another stupid trig test, then I fail the stupid class then I'll have to waste my stupid summer in stupid summer school so I can be a stupid senior next year!"_

_ "I'm sure you did fine," Shelby replied. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for."_

_ "Then how come I have a D- in trig then?" she demanded._

_ "I think that red in your hair makes you more angry than usual. You should try a more chill color next time."_

_ Natalie rolled her eyes. "Like what? Blue?" She paused and considered it for a moment." Actually there's an idea. I haven't had blue yet."_

_ A boy slammed into her. "Watch it!" he snarled._

_ "You wanna go?" Natalie shot back, holding up her fists like she was going to start a fight. "Because I will kick your ass!"_

_ He looked like he was going to take her up on that. Before the fight could commence, Shelby pushed them apart. "Look dude, she's in a mood. You don't want to piss her off."_

_ "Just stay out of my way," the boy retorted. "Stupid junior."_

_ "At least I'm not a pathetic senior who can't pass freshman English," Natalie shouted as he disappeared. She turned to Shelby. "He's such a dick. What's his name? Greg or something like that?"_

_ "Craig, I think," Shelby replied._

_ "Asshole," Natalie muttered._

_ "Tell you what, next Friday Johnny Depp's new movie is coming out. How about you and I go see it? He always cheers you up."_

_ "Alright," Natalie sighed. "I may just have to look into that blue hair too."_

_ Suddenly everything changed. A slightly older Natalie dashed around a small café, a tray of food carefully balanced on her hand. She placed the plate in front of the man sitting in the booth. He looked up and a glimmer of recognition flashed across his face. "Hey, didn't you go to Central High a few years back?"_

_ Natalie nodded. "Yeah, I graduated two years ago. You went there too didn't you? Isn't your name Greg?"_

_ He laughed. "Close enough. It's Craig. You're Natalie right? You were a year behind me? The one who always had weird colored hair?"_

_ "That's me."_

_ The door flew open and Shelby bounded in. "Hey is Natalie her-…?" She paused at the sight of her friend. "Hey Natalie, so I was thinking…Oh sorry you're working." Then she saw the man there. "I know you! You went to high school with us right? Greg right?"_

_ "Craig actually."_

_ "Look I still have ten minutes left in my shift," Natalie interrupted. "I've got to get back to work."_

_ "How about after you're done, I take you two ladies out and buy you a drink?" Craig offered._

_ The two girls exchanged glances. Shelby shrugged. "Why not?" Natalie sighed._

_ Again everything changed to reveal Natalie pushing Craig away from another boy who was covering his hurt eye. "Oh my God, Ryan, are you alright?" she asked. After he nodded, she turned back to Craig. "What the hell has gotten into you?"_

_ "I didn't like the way he was hitting on you."_

_ "Hitting on me? _Hitting on me?!_" Natalie repeated in disbelief. "This is Ryan we're talking about here! He will try and get you in bed with him long before he starts hitting on me! He talks like that to everyone. Besides, we've been friends for years. Take a damn chill pill."_

_ "I'm sorry babe," he replied, trying to kiss her, but she shoved him away._

_ "No, that's not going to work," she snapped. He pulled her against him and pressed his lips against hers anyway. Natalie slapped him and twisted away. "I mean it. I'm pissed. Do it again, and I'll beat the crap out of you. Lay off my friends."_

_ Her surroundings changed for a third time, this time to a living nightmare. Craig twisted his hand in her hair dragging her to him then slapped her across the face. He threw her to the floor and straddled her hips, his weight holding her to the ground. When his fingers began to work at the buttons of her shirt, she began to fight even more viciously. He paused and pressed the knife to her throat, and drew a thin line of blood. "You know babe," he hissed in her ear. "If you lie still, it'll hurt less."_

_ "Don't do this," she begged. "Please, I'll do whatever you want, just don't do this."_

_ "But this _is _what I want," he replied with a smirk._

_ "No!" Natalie screamed. "Please! I'm pregnant! Don't do this! No! NOOOO!"_

_ Just when Natalie thought it was over, it changed yet again. Craig's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, dragging her backwards. "RUN!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Go!" He threw her to the ground and kicked her hard in the stomach before she could get then pinned her down. "Just you and me now babe," he taunted. "The way it was always meant to be."_

Finally it ended. Natalie slowly came to, lying on the floor in a cold sweat. She laid there for a few minutes, trying to catch her breath and control her shuddering body. When Natalie had calmed down a bit, she began to draw herself a hot bath to help ease her still shaky muscles. After slipping into the welcoming water, Natalie closed her eyes and leaned back, forcing herself to relax.

This wasn't the first time this had happened to her. Erik had called them, well the one he knew about, seizures, but Natalie didn't think that's what they were. It was usually glimpses of her own time, sometimes flashes from her past. It felt like it was a reminder to her that she didn't belong here, and she was lucky she had stayed this long.

After her first one the night Erik proposed, Natalie learned how to tell one was coming and did everything she could to hide them from her husband because she didn't want him to worry. Sometimes she'd have one in the middle of the night, but those were rare, and she just passed them off as nightmares. They were usually only every few months at the most, but had becoming more and more frequent in the past year, which worried her.

Something else that bothered her was the fact that this one was different. Everything was a memory, some of them long forgotten, except for that last one. That hadn't happened to her, and just the thought of Craig returning was terrifying enough, but with Erik gone it was enough to petrify her. Especially now that she had two children to take care of too.

A soft knock echoed on the door. "Natalie?" Christine called. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Natalie replied. "I'm just in the bath."

"I wanted to make you sure you were okay."

Natalie leaned back and nodded, even though Christine couldn't see her through the door. "I'm perfectly fine," she lied.

* * *

Erik's head was pounding as his eyes fluttered open. It felt like someone had beaten him over the head. He sat up with a groan then groaned again when he saw all the empty bottles. Slowly the night came back to him. Waves of guilt crashed over him as he remembered kissing Shelby. It wasn't fair to Natalie, she had done nothing wrong to deserve this, and it wasn't fair to Shelby because he loved his wife.

Then he realized that he had no clue where Shelby even was. The sound of someone losing their last meal was enough to draw him to the bathroom. He found Shelby slowly rising. "Never again," she groaned when she saw him. "I need some aspirin."

"Look about last night…" he began, but paused unsure on how to continue. It didn't help that his brain was still foggy from all the alcohol the night before.

She turned to him. "Never speak of it again," she ordered. "You were drunk, I was drunk, neither of us meant it, and thank God nothing worse happened. I think it would be best for you, me, Natalie, and your family if we just forgot that ever happened."

He nodded. "Alright."

Shelby pushed him aside. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a hangover to sleep off."

* * *

It was time. He had spent days trying to come up with the best way, and now it was time to put his plan into action. Craig glanced outside his cell to make sure there were any guards in that immediate at that moment. If he was going to get back, then he needed to die, and if he was going to die, then there was no better moment than right now while there was no one to interfere.

With a one quick blow, he shattered the mirror. As he suspected, the noise attracted some attention, so he grabbed the largest shard. A guard dashed down the row, saw him and began screaming for someone to open the cell, but Craig's hand was already in motion. "You better run babe," he muttered as he laid on the ground and felt a twisting feeling in his gut."'Cause here I come."


	18. Chapter 18

_Aren't you guys lucky I'm feeling extra creative this weekend? Anyway, here's another chapter cause I love you all. Just remember, everything comes with a price (Name that reference and you're extra awesomesauce)! And that price would be some of the meanest, nastiest cliffhangers that a sole human being could possibly come up with! In other words, if you think I'm mean now, the cliffhangers are just going to get even bigger, more dramatic, and overall you're just going to hate me for making you cling to every word, begging me for more. Do I sound like a sadist? I feel like I sound like a sadist. Anyway, here you go! Read and Review, and remember that if you riot, you'll never find out what lies at the bottom of the cliff!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"Natalie!" Erik shouted with utter delight at the sight of his wife. He raced towards her, wanting nothing more than to have her back in his arms, to have things the way they were supposed to be.

She glanced up with an expression of sheer joy, but her expression was almost instantly replaced with confusion and alarm when she spotted him. "Who are you?"

"Natalie, it's me," Erik replied with a laugh. When she showed no sign of recognition, he began to panic. "Natalie, it's me," he repeated. "Erik. Your husband."

"No," she responded, slowly beginning to shake her head. Erik reached for her, but she backed away, out of his reach. "No, you're not my Erik. So tell me the truth, _who are you_?!"

"I _am_ Erik," he insisted. "Natalie, I swear it's me."

"You think I don't know my own husband?" she demanded.

He grabbed her shoulders in desperation. "Natalie, please! It's me! When we met, it was at the Opera Populaire. You had blue hair, and everyone thought you were crazy! I killed Joseph Buquet because he tried to hurt you, then later you disappeared in the fire that I started! I thought you were dead for four years before you returned. We were married seven years ago! We have two kids, twins, Celine and Christian."

Her face paled. "How do you know all that?" Then she gasped. "What did you do to my children? Whatever you want, take it, it's yours, just don't hurt my kids. Please."

"No," he cried. "No. How could you think I could ever hurt my own children? Natalie, I love you. You're my wife. I would die before I hurt you or the twins!" Tears of frustration began to form in his eyes, and Erik could feel his heart breaking. The look of sheer terror on her face was enough for him to release her. "Goddammit, why don't you recognize me?"

Slowly her eyes began to soften. "Erik?" she whispered.

Erik nodded and grabbed her hands, utterly desperate. "Yes it's me."

She hesitated before lightly running her fingertips across his completely unmarred face. "What did you do to yourself?" she asked in disbelief. "_What did you do?!"_

"Wake up!"

His eyes snapped open to see Shelby hovering over him, shaking his shoulder. His chest was heaving and his heart was racing. "What happened?" he asked.

"You were freaking out in your sleep. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Erik replied. He had been so focused on trying to get rid of his curse that he hadn't even considered how Natalie would react. Erik decided she'd believe it was him once he explained the situation.

"You don't look fine," Shelby pressed. "You look like you've seen a ghost…which is kind of ironic if you think about it."

"I can assure you I am perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong. I'm sorry if I concerned you, but there is nothing for you to worry about," he insisted.

"Nervous about the operation?" Shelby asked. "Because if you change your mind, I'm sure Dan would understand completely. We still have another two hours or so until you need to be there, so it's not like it would be totally last minute if you decided not to go through with it."

"No!" Erik shouted. "I mean, I'm just a little anxious. This is the one chance I have to change my whole life, and it can't come soon enough. I still want this."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

Craig glanced around the corner, watching his prey. There was no doubt on who that boy was. He looked exactly like his mother, with the exception of the green eyes. He was waiting patiently for his chance, waiting for the boy to leave his friend for just a moment. A minute was all he needed.

Just then, another child ran out. Craig swore until he studied at her more closely. She was a spitting image of Natalie, again the green eyes being the sole difference. So there were two and they looked close enough in age to be…_So Natalie had twins_, he thought. There wasn't one demon spawn, but two.

Any lingering doubts he was unaware of having vanished when the girl tackled the other boy. She was most definitely Natalie's. "Hey," his male target said, pointing to the house. "Mom says to let him go."

"Aww," the girl moaned. "Now what?"

"We could play hide-and-go-seek," the brunette boy suggested. _Yes,_ Craig mentally screamed. _That's exactly what you want to do!_

"Fine," the girl replied. "But _you_ have to count!" she added, pushing on his chest.

The moment he started to count, the blonde children ran off, hand in hand, completely oblivious to the shadow following them. They were making this much too easy for him.

* * *

Celine snuggled up against Natalie resting her head against her mother's shoulder. Natalie finished combing her daughter's hair and began braiding it. "There you go sweetheart," she announced, tying it off with a ribbon. "All done, you can go play now."

"Thank you Mommy!" she squealed before scampering off to find her brother.

Natalie stood up and went to the window, watching her children dash outside with Gustav. The three were soon engrossed in a game that reminded her of a cross between tag and football. She was pretty sure that Celine was just looking for an excuse to beat up Gustav.

"Whatever did he do to her?" Raoul asked, the Vicomte appearing behind her. "Your daughter seems unnaturally vicious to my son. Unless she takes after her father, and it's just an inherited trait."

"I don't think she quite forgave him for taking her doll."

"What? It's just doll!" Raoul exclaimed.

"Men," Natalie sighed, rolling her eyes. "Never ever try and separate a girl from her dolls. I once had to literally _pry_ Celine off of Christian because he wouldn't give Madeleine back. Celine is super protective of her."

"You're bluffing," he replied, then looked out the window. Celine had successfully pinned Gustav down. "Never mind, I can see it. Are you going to stop her?"

"I suppose," Natalie said with another, greatly exaggerated sigh. She knocked on the window and shook her head when Celine glanced in their direction. The girl was obviously disappointed, but allowed Gustav to get up.

"Why do you let her do that? Most parents would be scandalized to see their son behaving like that, much less their daughter."

"Because Raoul, I want my daughter to be able to handle herself. I grew up learning to rely on myself, and I don't want Celine feeling like she needs someone to do everything for her. Despite common belief, women are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves." Natalie looked out again. "Maybe I should teach them boxing. What do you think?"

"You want to _what_?!" he exclaimed. "Why?"

"Teach the kids boxing. You can use a sword, and you'll probably wind up teaching your son. Erik can use a Punjab lasso like no other. Granted I don't know anyway besides him that uses the Punjab, but that's beside the point. I want my children to be able to be able to defend themselves."

"Do you even know how to box?" Raoul asked.

"No," Natalie admitted. "But I've seen enough _Rocky_, it can't be that hard."

"Rocky?"

"The greatest boxer ever," she explained, skipping over the fact he was just a movie character. "He rose up and defeated two world champions, a wrestler who was twice his size, and a Russian who was practically superhuman! He even had his own theme music!"

"Excuse me?"

Natalie grinned. "Ba bum dadadum dadadum dum dum dum, ba bum dadadum dadadum dum dum dum, bum bum bum bum, budaduuuuuuuum, dada daaaaaaaaaa, dada duuuuuum!" she sang, punching the air as though she was fighting an invisible opponent.

Raoul smiled. "You seem to be in a better mood."

"I am," she replied. "I don't think it's possible to be sad all the time forever. I think eventually your mind just gives up and says 'Sorry, sadness is out of order for now. You're just going to have to feel better for a while'."

"Well I'm glad you're not so upset. It's good to have you back to being yourself."

Suddenly her attention shot back to the window. Something wasn't right. Leaving Raoul standing there, Natalie flew for the front door. "Gustav!" she called, running down the porch stairs. "Gustav, where are the twins?"

"We were playing hide-and-go-seek but I can't find them."

"Natalie, what's going on?" Raoul asked as he ran outside after her.

"Something's wrong, very, _very_ wrong. The twins were just here and now Gustav can't find them!" she cried. "Celine! Christian!"

"I'm sure there fine," he insisted, trying to reassure her. "If they were just here, they couldn't have gotten far. I'm sure they'll be back here in a moment."

"Call it a mother's intuition," she replied. "But I know my kids are in danger."

"You're overreacting. It's probably nothing that you need to get worked up over." Natalie shot him a glare piercing enough to shatter stone. Raoul sighed. "You look that way, I'll go this way."

"Celine?! Christian?!" Natalie screamed, completely panicked. "Where are you?!"


	19. Chapter 19

_Snow day instead of finals! Do you know what that means? Another chapter! Which means another cliff hanger, even worse than the last one (well in my opinion)! And because Christmas is nearing, I feel rather generous and shall give you a warning. Erik's going to find out next chapter that karma's a bitch. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Anyway, here you go! Read and Review and Merry Christmas!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"Ready to go?" Shelby asked. "Erik?" She shook his shoulder. "Erik?!" When he didn't respond, she screamed in his ear, "YO GHOST BOY!"

Erik jumped. "What?"

"Somebody's head's in the clouds. It's time for us to get going."

"Okay." He started to follow her, but glanced back out the window, obviously troubled. Something was bugging him.

"Like I told you earlier, you can back out if you want. There's nothing wrong with it, I know Dan would understand," she said.

He shook his head. "It's not that. I just have a bad feeling."

"If it's about the surgery, then you probably shouldn't go through with it."

"No, not here. Back home. Something isn't right."

Shelby could see fear in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"She's scared. Terrified. I'm afraid something's wrong with the kids." He began pacing back and forth, his brow furrowed. "Don't ask me how I know, I can just feel it."

"What do you want to do? I mean, I don't know how we can help. I'll go ahead and call Dan. If you're that worried…"

Erik shook his head. "No, like you said we can't do anything. I just hope whatever is going on Natalie can handle it, until I can figure out how to get back home."

"Are you sure?" she questioned. "If something's wrong, then shouldn't we spend more time trying to figure out how to reverse whatever brought you here?"

"I don't know what that is!" Erik shouted. "I would die to keep my children from harm if that's what it takes, but as long as I'm here, I can't help them. I don't know what I should do!"

Shelby wrapped a comforting arm over his shoulder. "I can't make that decision for you. It's your choice."

He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, deep in thought. Finally he took a deep breath. "We might as well get going."

* * *

Dragging along one little kid quietly was hard, but as Craig was finding out, trying to keep two under control was damn near impossible. The boy was giving him the most trouble, but they were both fighting like little animals. Eventually he had enough. A single blow to the head left the boy limp on the ground. Hopefully Natalie would enjoy the present. At the very least, it'd point her in the right direction.

With him out of the way, Craig wrapped his arm around the girl's waist and clamped his hand firmly over her mouth as she twisted and squirmed in his grip. He lifted her off the ground and carried her away as she began kicking frantically. In an act of desperation, the little demon sank her teeth into his hand. Craig roared in pain before tearing a few long scraps from the bottom of her shirt, which he used to bind her wrists and ankles and gag her.

He threw the girl over his shoulder and continued on his way as she thrashed violently. Craig could hear her muffled sobs, but she slowly quit fighting him as her strength drained away. "If you're a good girl and do what you're told, I won't hurt you," he sneered. A soft whimper was the only response he received.

* * *

"Celine?" Raoul called. "Christian?" No response. Natalie had been so upset about the twins, but he had dismissed her fears. Now he was beginning to worry. It'd been nearly twenty minutes since they started looking and he hadn't found a sign of them.

"Raoul?" He looked up and saw his wife walk out onto the porch, a worried expression on her face. "What's going on? Where is everyone?"

"The twins disappeared during a game of hide-and-go-seek. Natalie and I are looking for them. Have you seen them?"

Christine shook her head. "No, and I haven't seen Natalie for a while either."

Raoul opened his mouth to reply, but something blonde behind the gardener's shed caught his eye. He cautiously approached it and gasped in surprise. "Raoul what is it?" Ignoring her, he knelt next to Christian, who was frighteningly still. Raoul gently checked for a pulse, and much to his relief, the boy was still alive. "Raoul?" Looking up, he saw two small sets of footsteps and a larger pair leading up to where Christian lay unconscious. Leading away were some scuff marks, like someone had been dragged away, alongside the large pair, then just large pair. "Raoul what's going on?"

He carefully picked up the boy and headed back to the house. Christine's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to speak, but Raoul cut her off. "I want you to get in the house and stay there. Something isn't right. I think someone took Celine, and Christian got in the way. You and the children need to stay somewhere safe."

"Isn't Natalie out here looking for the twins?" she asked, fear audible in her voice.

"I need to find her and Celine before something bad happens." He placed the small boy in Christine's arms. "Take him inside and keep him and Gustav indoors. Have someone get a doctor. He might be seriously hurt. I don't like where any of this is going at all."

Christine looked into her husband's crystal blue eyes. "Do you think they're in danger?"

"I'm afraid they might be."

* * *

Unlike before, their trip on the interstate didn't bother Erik one little bit. His mind was far from the car. Natalie's fear was building, and by now, he had no doubt that the children were in danger. "Are you sure?" Shelby asked for the thousandth time since they left.

Erik nodded. He couldn't quite explain it, but he had a plan to get home. Well, it was more of a gut feeling but it was the closest thing to a plan he had since he arrived here. And if worse came to worse… Erik reached in his pocket and felt the lasso he had concealed there. Well, he had a backup plan too.

Dan was waiting for them when they walked inside. "This is your last chance if you want to change your mind."

"No. I want to go ahead with the surgery."

The doctor sighed. "Well then we better begin. Come with me." He led Erik to the operating room. "You know that there is the possibility that I could make it worse."

"Yes, I'm fully aware of the risks." Erik was getting antsy with all this waiting.

"You're going to need to give me your mask." He closed his eyes before pulling it off and handing it to the doctor. "Final chance…"

"Do it."

Dan nodded. "I'm going to administer the anesthesia now. It'll put you to sleep until after I'm finished." He placed the plastic tubing over Erik's nose and mouth. Almost immediately he felt woozy. "Take a deep breath." Erik obeyed and the room began to spin.

* * *

Natalie was begging to feel sick. She had stumbled across a pair of footsteps leading away from the de Chagny manor. At first she wasn't horribly concerned because they were too large to belong to her kids, but looking closer, she realized that shoe prints like that didn't exist in the 1800's. She wasn't alone anymore.

She glanced back at the manor, considering going back for help. There wasn't time for that though. Her kids were in danger and they needed her now. Natalie knew who had her children and time was of the essence. If they spent any more time with Craig, who knew what he was going to do with them? Hopefully Raoul would be able to find her before anyone got hurt.

"Christian? Celine?" she screamed as she followed the footsteps. Her voice was getting hoarse from all the shouting. Running alongside the tracks, she continued to call for her kids, praying she wasn't too late.

Up ahead was a sight that forced her to freeze. Craig had a tight grip on her daughter who was weeping uncontrollably. When she took a step closer, his grip on Celine tightened enough to make the little girl cry out in pain. "Hello Natalie," he sneered.


	20. Chapter 20

_Okay, so maybe, just _maybe_ your Christmas present is a lie. I told you karma was going to get back at Erik this chapter. Turns out Erik isn't even _in_ this chapter. Karma with get its revenge _NEXT _chapter, I swear on the lives of the twins that it's the truth. Anyway, bigger cliffhanger at the end of the chapter. And since I feel bad about lying I will caution you that the mother-of-all-cliffhangers will be waiting for you NEXT chapter. While you quake in fear, enjoy this chapter! Read and Review!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

Natalie put her hands up in a gesture of surrender. Craig knew she wouldn't risk doing anything that might cause him to hurt the little girl he still kept a tight grip on. "Craig, let her go."

He glanced down at the sniveling brat. "I don't think so. We've been having lots of fun together," he replied, tracing the tear tracks on her cheeks with his thumb. "Haven't we?" She whimpered through the gag.

"Don't hurt her," Natalie pleaded.

"Now why would I do that?" Craig asked in mock disbelief. He stroked the girl's cheek teasingly. "She's such a precious little angel, I'd hate for anything to happen to her."

She took a step closer, but Craig moved his hand to the girl's throat. "No!" Natalie screamed, backing up again. "Don't! Please just let her go!"

"I don't see why I should," he answered nonchalantly. He twirled her braid in his fingers and watched as Natalie became more and more unnerved. "She's cute, takes after her mommy. Don't you darling?"

Her mother's eyes grew wide, catching his drift. "You wouldn't dare…"

"There's nothing I wouldn't do babe."

"Goddammit Craig, she's six!" Natalie cried. "An innocent child! She's done nothing to deserve this!"

"Who said I'm doing this because of her?" he questioned. "Perhaps this is punishment for her mother."

Tears began rolling down Natalie's face. "Craig, look at her. She has done nothing to you! I'm the one you want. Let her go and take me instead."

Craig gave her a malicious smile. Now they were getting somewhere. "I don't know," he sighed. "She's pretty good company."

"Please," Natalie begged, falling to her knees. "Don't make her suffer because of me."

An idea struck him. He threw the little girl at her mother. "Poor choice of wording. I'll kill your daughter while you watch and then when I'm through with that, babe, I'm going to kill you."

"No!"

"Oh don't worry, Natalie. Hers will be quick," he responded as though it were supposed to be comforting to her. His smile grew bigger. "I can't say the same thing for you though."

* * *

"_Ugh!"_

Shelby cranked up the volume on her iPod as she danced to her favorite song. She was pretty sure that one day she was going to blast her ears out with all the loud music she listened to, but for now, she didn't care.

"_I broke it off thinking you'd be cryin'  
Now I feel like shh looking at you flyin'  
I want you back  
I want you back  
Wa-want you, want you back"_

Since she couldn't exactly leave, she was stuck waiting at the office until Erik's surgery was done. She decided instead of sitting around for hours, she might as well be productive and found herself cleaning her desk to pass the time, the TV on in the waiting room as background noise.

"_Please, this ain't even jealousy  
She ain't got a thing on me  
Tryin' to rock them ugly jeans jeans jeans  
Ugh  
You clearly didn't think this through  
If what I've been told is true  
You'll be crawling back like boo hoo hoo  
Ugh!"_

Then something on the television caught her attention. She momentarily pulled the ear buds out and turned the volume up. "A name has not been released. However we can confirm that a prisoner at the county jail has committed suicide."

Shelby rolled her eyes. They seemed to broadcast every little thing that happened in town. "Oh wait," the new anchor continued. "I have just received word that an insider has informed us that the prisoner was found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend several years ago."

"What are the odds it was Craig?" she wondered aloud. "Nah, I'm not that lucky. Probably some other sick loser." She clicked the TV off and stuck her ear buds back in her ears. If she had waited just a few minutes more for the name to be released, she would have learned she was very, very wrong.

"_Remember all the things that you and I did first?  
And now you're doing them with her  
Remember all the things that you and I did first?  
You got me, got me like this  
Ugh!_

For a moment, she wondered how Erik's operation was going. Obviously since Dan hadn't come dashing out screaming for her to call an ambulance, things must be going alright. Then again, they hadn't been gone all that long. It was possible that he hadn't even started yet._  
And now you're taking her to every restaurant  
And everywhere we went, come on!  
And now you're taking her to every restaurant  
You got me, got me like this  
Ugh!"_

* * *

Natalie pulled the gag out of Celine's mouth and untied her wrists and ankles. "Mommy!" Celine sobbed, throwing her arms around her neck and crying uncontrollably.

"Shhh, I'm here sweetheart," Natalie said as soothingly as she could, rubbing her daughter's back. She knew she needed to get Celine out of here before Craig could hurt her. She kissed her daughter's temple and tried to calm the terrified girl down. "Where's your brother?"

"He…he wouldn't wake up."

"No," Natalie whispered. Praying that it wasn't what it sounded like, praying her son was still alive, she looked up to Craig with nothing but utter contempt. "Where's Christian?" When he just gave her a blank look, she continued with, "Where's my son? Where is he?! _What did you do with him?!"_

The smirk he gave her made Natalie want to throw up. "Let's just say you'll be joining him shortly."

"No!" Natalie sobbed, completely breaking down. "No! Oh God, my baby!" Tears in her eyes, she turned up to Craig. "You sick bastard!" she screamed. "How could you?! He was six!"

"Oh don't worry," he said. He walked up to her and began to pet her hair. "You'll all be reunited shortly. After all, I'd hate to keep such a _cute_ family apart."

Natalie twisted away and hid her daughter's face in her chest. She forced herself to regain control of herself; she still had one child she had to defend. "Mommy, I'm scared," Celine whimpered.

"I know sweetheart," Natalie replied, wiping Celine's tears away. "I am too." She brought her lips to her daughter's ear. "When I tell you to, I need you to run away as fast as you can. I need you to run back to Raoul's house, and don't stop no matter what happens," she whispered so that Craig couldn't hear. "Can you do that for me?"

Celine nodded. Natalie could feel tears streaming down her face. She knew unless a miracle happened, this was it for her. "I need you to be brave for me." For what could very well be the last time, she gently caressed her daughter's cheek. "I love you so very, very much. I never want you to forget that."

Craig reached for Celine, and Natalie knew this was it. She threw herself at him, tackling him with every ounce of strength she had. "Now Celine!" she ordered. He lunged for the little girl as she turned to run, but Natalie leaped on top of him, clawing at his face.

"Mommy!" Natalie looked up to see her daughter stopping and looking back.

She knew she couldn't fight off Craig for long, but she needed to buy her daughter some more time. He pulled her into a chokehold, making spots dance in front of her eyes. She knew that if he could stop her now, he would get to Celine. Desperate, Natalie sank her teeth into his arm, hard enough to draw blood. He screamed in pain, but unwilling to quite let her go, his grip moved so he his arms were tight around her waist. "RUN!" she screamed to her daughter, as she thrashed, trying to escape Craig's grip. "Go!"

As Celine took off, Craig threw her to the ground. Natalie knew he wasn't going to let her slip away to chase down her daughter. Celine was safe, as long as she kept Craig occupied for Celine to get to the house or Raoul to find her. She tried to get up to continue to fight, but his foot made sharp contact with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. He pinned her down. "Just you and me now babe," he jeered. "The way it was always meant to be."

"Go to hell," she spat.

"So vicious," he purred. Natalie knew that look in his eye. The last time he had it, he had raped her, and she was going to do whatever she could to avoid going down that road again.

"For God's sake, am I the only one feeling déjà vu?" Natalie cried. "We've been through all this before! Can't we just fast forward through all this crap?"

"You're right," he agreed. "I think we'll just skip to the part where I kill you."

"Actually I was hoping we'd go to the part where Erik beats the shit out of you and _you_ die," Natalie snapped. Maybe if he believed her husband was coming, he'd let her go. They all knew Craig didn't even remotely match up to Erik in a fight.

"We both know that's not going to happen," he replied. "Your husband isn't here Natalie. He's not going to save you. You have no hope."

Out of options, Natalie spat in his face. Craig roared then slammed his fist into her jaw. Her head snapped backwards with the force of the blow.

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't with Craig anymore. She looked over and saw a girl facing away from her. "_I broke it off thinking you'd be cryin'. Now I feel like shh looking at you flyin'. I want you back. I want you back. Wa-want you, want you back!"_ she was singing. For some reason, her voice sounded familiar, but suddenly something slammed into her head, dragging her somewhere else.

A man dressed scrubs like a doctor was searching what looked like an operating room. Natalie couldn't tell what he needed so desperately, but he looked frantic.

Again, something slammed against her, a piercing pain in her jaw. This time, there was nothing. Just black. The throbbing in her jaw was slowly disappearing the more she sank into the darkness. Suddenly it felt like a huge weight was lifted off her chest.

"Natalie!" a voice called. "Natalie, wake up!" The sound of the voice pulled her out of her warm, back cocoon against her will. The more she was pulled away, the more the pain came back. "Please Natalie!" Finally she forced her eyes open, just to please the voice, to be allowed to go back to the comfort of the darkness. "There you are," the voice said. Natalie didn't care; she just wanted the pain to go away. "No, no, no, stay with me. Stay with me Natalie."

She didn't care what the voice wanted. "You have such pretty green eyes," she murmured, hoping the voice was satisfied enough to leave her alone, before embracing the darkness once more.


	21. Chapter 21

_Pretty sure you're all going to hate me. Fear not, this isn't the last chapter! There will be a light at the end of the tunnel! That's all I'm going to say, untill we meet again at the end of the chapter!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

Christine paced back and forth nervously. Finally the door opened and the doctor poked his head out. "He's waking up," he announced.

"Oh thank God," Christine muttered as she entered the room behind him. The little boy was stirring, with the doctor kneeling next to him. "Hello," she said softly when his eyes opened so Christian wouldn't be startled.

"Where…?" he started as he sat up, the panic clear in his green eyes.

"Don't worry, you're safe now," she explained as soothingly as she could. "Do you know what happened?"

Tears formed in his eyes. "There was a man. He tried to take Celine when we were playing. He grabbed me too. He said if we did anything bad, he'd hurt Mommy."

"Then what happened?" Christine questioned gently.

"I don't know," he moaned. "I remember trying to beat him up, but I couldn't, he was too big. Then my head hurt and that's it." He looked up to her, tears sliding down his face. "Where's Celine?"

"Raoul's looking for her," Christine replied. "We haven't been able to find her yet." The look on his face was enough to break her heart. She hugged the boy tightly. "Don't worry. He'll find her. He won't let anything bad happen to her."

"Where's Mommy?"

"He's looking for her too."

"Christian," the doctor said softly. "My name's Henri. I'm here to help. Can you tell me what the man looked like?"

The little boy nodded. "He had brown hair and his eyes were gray. He was big and scary."

"Do you remember anything else?"

Christian thought a bit longer. "He didn't talk like most people," he answered.

"How so?" the doctor pushed.

"He sounded like Mom."

Henri and Christine shared a look of confusion until it clicked with her. "American!" she cried. "Natalie's an American. She still has her accent. He must be too!"

Suddenly there was a tug on her arm. "Christine, he kept saying he was going to get Mom. He said it was payback."

"Oh no," Henri whispered. Christine looked at him with alarm, a question on her lips. He motioned for her to go out into the hall. "Christian," he said, turning back to the boy. "You've hurt your head. You need to stay here and get some rest."

"But what about…"

"Don't worry," the doctor assured him. "We won't let anything happen to your family. I promise. But for now, you need to stay in bed."

"What's wrong?" Christine asked the second they were out of the room.

"Do you remember when Natalie was attacked years ago?"

She nodded. "Yes. She was pregnant with the twins."

"And he later went to their home and tried to attack her there?"

"Yes, but I don't see the point…I mean, he was killed. In fact, I was told you were there," Christine replied. "What does this have to do with this?"

"The man who did it all those years ago, his name was Craig. He was an American who wanted Natalie dead. He fits Christian's description."

"Except he was shot six years ago," Christine interrupted. "He can't have taken Celine if he's dead."

"But he didn't die. He literally vanished before our eyes. It was like magic."

"Magic doesn't exist!" she protested.

"And people don't just vanish into nothing," he countered.

"Alright," Christine sighed in surrender. "If it _is_ this man, what does that mean?"

"It means that someone needs to find them soon. He's a madman. If someone doesn't stop him, they're as good as dead."

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"

"It worked!" Erik shouted in triumph. He was so ecstatic, he hugged Shelby. "It worked!"

"What worked?" Shelby screeched.

"We're back!"

Her face turned ashen. "You mean…?" When he nodded, she fell to her knees, hyperventilating. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. This isn't possible! This is just a dream. After all I was taking a nap back at the office. Yes, this is all just a dream."

"You done yet?" Erik asked in exasperation.

She slowly nodded and stood again. "No. Now I repeat: _what the hell did you do?!_"

"I woke up in your world, so I was almost certain that sleep was the key to getting back, but I needed to get in a deep enough sleep for it to work."

"And during the operation, Dan used anesthesia on you," she finished for him. "That got you far enough out to bring you back. And I was taking a nap because I was bored. Apparently it was enough to drag me with you."

"Apparently."

"So where are we?" Shelby asked. "You seem to recognize this place even though we're clearly in the middle of nowhere."

Erik nodded. "There's a small town about 2 miles that way," he said, pointing in one direction. "Our house is about three miles beyond the town."

"I am _not_ walking five miles!" she shouted.

"Relax," he said. "We're only about half a mile from the de Chagny manor. As much as I hate the idea, we can go there and get some help."

She raised her eyebrows. "I thought you hated Raoul?"

He sighed. "We have a somewhat precarious alliance. Natalie is friends with him and Christine, so we pretend to get along for her sake."

"Oh, this I've got to see! Lead the way Ghost Boy!" Rolling his eyes at the nickname, Erik sighed again before starting the trek.

"What's that?" Shelby asked suddenly.

Erik also perked up at the sound. It sounded like crying. Suddenly he saw something coming towards them. It almost looked like…"Celine!" he screamed.

"Daddy!" came the reply. He fell to his knees and she slammed into his chest.

Holding her tightly against him, Erik kissed her forehead as she cried. Suddenly something dawned on him. "Celine what are you doing here? Why are you by yourself? Where's your mother?"

She began to bawl even louder. "He's going to hurt her! He wouldn't let her go!" she sobbed. "She told me not to stop running. Daddy you gotta stop him!"

"Who?" Celine just shook her head, crying too hard to speak. "Which way?" She pointed in the direction that she had come from. He turned to Shelby. "Natalie's in danger. This is my daughter Celine. Take her that way to the manor. I'm sure they'll help you."

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have to save my wife," he replied. "Please, take her to the manor. I need to know my daughter is safe."

"But…" Before she could protest, he took off sprinting away. She turned to the sniffling girl. "Hi honey," Shelby said in a comforting tone. "My name is Shelby. I'm friends with your Mommy. I won't hurt you, I promise."

"Are we going to go back to the house?" the little girl asked.

She shook her head. Shelby knew Erik told them to go to the house, but he seemed to forget that she wasn't totally helpless. "We're going to help your Daddy," she answered, taking Celine's hand and the two took off after Erik.

* * *

Erik wondered what the hell was going on. He could feel panic building in his gut, but anymore, he couldn't tell how much was his and how much was Natalie's. For nearly a decade, he had buried the Phantom part of his personality, but as he made his way over a hill, the sight that was before him was enough for him to relinquish all control and embrace the animalistic rage he had kept hidden for so long.

With every ounce of strength he had, Erik tackled Craig. He pulled the Punjab lasso out of his pocket and had it wrapped around his neck before Craig could process what had happened. "Why the hell won't you just stay dead?" the Phantom hissed through clenched teeth as he pulled the noose tighter and tighter.

"You…'re….here?" Craig gasped as his air supply was cut off.

"You dare to come back, threaten my family hurt my wife," he snarled. "I will make sure you never come near us again." Erik had the lasso tightened just enough to make this a slow, painful death. "I should have killed you myself last time. This time I won't make the mistake of letting you slip away."

Craig's eyes were popping out of his head as he tried to get the rope away from his neck. Suddenly Erik could feel the bones of his neck break, and Craig suddenly stopped. Much to his surprise, he didn't vanish like he had six years before.

Panting as he stood, Erik slowly regained his self-control and realized what he had done. Leaving the rope around Craig's neck, he backed away. He had promised Natalie once that he would never kill again, and he had already broken that promise once before. Hopefully she would understand that he just couldn't let this monster live.

Falling to his knees beside his unconscious wife, Erik carefully cradled her torso against him. Craig had punched her face repeatedly before Erik had gotten to him, and he could see a black eye beginning to form already. "Natalie! Natalie wake up!" he pleaded.

Looking up, he saw Shelby and Celine appear on the top of the hill, but he quickly turned back to Natalie. "Please Natalie." Slowly her eyes opened. Her gaze was dazed and unfocused, but her eyes were open! He smiled, relieved. "There you are," he murmured, like she was a small child. Then he felt a surge of panic as the started to close again. "No, no, no. Stay with me," he begged. "Stay with me Natalie." He couldn't lose her.

"You have such pretty green eyes," she mumbled.

Before he could figure out what she meant by that, Natalie's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she went limp again. The terror began to come back in full force. He quickly searched her neck and found her pulse.

The steady heartbeat was weak, and with every beat grew weaker…and weaker…and weaker…and then, there was nothing.

"_No!_" Erik screamed. "_NOOOOO!"_

* * *

_WHOO! Craig meet Punjab, Punjab meet Craig. Oh wait...OH NO! NATALIE! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? Oh wait, I wrote it. I guess I'll just have to keep writing then. And remember, if you murder me, I can't finish this story. And believe me, you're going to want me to finish._

_~nibblesfan_


	22. Chapter 22

She wasn't disappearing. Erik knew Natalie would be safe as long as she disappeared. Why was she still here? If she was still here, that meant…No! She couldn't be dead, she couldn't be dead, how could she die? He could feel tears streaming down his face as he crushed her lifeless body against him.

"Mommy?!" He looked up and saw Celine and Shelby running towards him. No, what were they doing here? They weren't supposed to be here, they were supposed to be at the manor. His little girl, his princess, she couldn't see this. "Daddy, what's wrong? Why isn't Mommy waking up?"

Erik gently placed his wife on the ground and pulled Celine into his lap. "She's hurt," he whispered. The little girl hid her face in his shirt, her tears soaking the fabric. Shelby knelt next to Natalie, and when she couldn't find a heartbeat either, she turned to Erik with a glimmer of hope in her teary eyes. He shook his head as confirmation of their worst fear. "I was too late," he sobbed. "I couldn't help her."

"Maybe you couldn't," Shelby replied. "But I can try." She began pressing on Natalie's chest repeatedly. "C'mon girl," she muttered. "I know you're in there somewhere." Shelby blew into Natalie's mouth before restarting the process again. "Please don't tell me learning CPR was a waste of my time."

As Shelby tried to revive Natalie, Erik heard the sound of hooves. Whirling around, he saw three horses heading towards them. He immediately stood and pushed his daughter behind him. If it came down to it, he would fight to defend her until his dying breath. "Erik, Erik she's breathing again!" Shelby cried. "She's alive! She's…" She turned and saw the horses as well, her eyes growing wide. "Oh, we've got company. Please tell me that's good."

"If it's not, I need you to take Celine and run. And I mean it this time. Leave me," he ordered. She started protesting but the horses grew near enough for Erik to see who the lead rider was. He turned back to Natalie and was relieved to see the rise and fall of her chest.

"Please tell me this means whoever that is, they're friendly," Shelby whispered.

"It's the Vicomte and a couple of his servants," he explained curtly as Celine wrapped her arms around his leg. "Don't worry my angel," he whispered, rubbing her back. "We'll get help for Mommy."

"You!" Raoul spat, leaping off his horse and charging towards Erik. "It's about time you decided to show up again!"

"Look, I got back as soon as I could!" Erik protested.

"Oh yeah right," the Vicomte snorted. "You've always had commitment issues. It was just like you to disappear and leave your family for me to take care of. Just like I've always had to clean up your messes."

"Don't flatter yourself, Monsieur," he countered. "Your ego has always been your most unbecoming feature."

The two men were standing toe to toe and were about to start throwing punches when Shelby shoved them apart. "Hey!" she shouted. "Knock it off! Have you two lost your minds?"

"Who are you?" Raoul demanded. "The reason he ran off perhaps?"

The look in Shelby's eyes nearly made Erik laugh. She grabbed the Vicomte's cravat and yanked him forward to look her in the eyes. "How dare you!" she shouted. "Erik is the most loyal person I know. He would _never_ do that to Natalie! I'm a friend of Natalie's! And She needs help now but you're sitting here picking fights like a child! If it weren't for Erik, she'd be dead!"

Raoul glanced over her shoulder and saw the still unconscious Natalie and Craig's body. "Oh God," he whispered.

"Exactly," she snapped. "So you're going to get that pompous ass of yours back on that horse and take her to a hospital or get a doctor or SOMETHING!" Shelby threw Raoul backwards. "Understand?"

He turned to the two men with him. "You two take care of…well, find _someone _who knows what to do with him," he instructed, gesturing towards Craig's body. The Vicomte turned back to the trio before him. "Come with me. We need to get Natalie to the house. Christine was supposed to get a doctor for Christian. He's most likely still there."

"Is he alright?" Erik demanded. "What happened to my son?"

"I don't know exactly," Raoul replied. "I think he was knocked out by _him_. I know I'm not a doctor, but I think he's going to be fine."

Erik picked up his wife and carefully passed her to Raoul once the Vicomte was back on his horse. He seemed reluctant to let her go, but slowly backed up. "Be careful with her," he whispered. Raoul gave a brief nod before spurring the horse forwards.

"So what now?" Shelby asked as he disappeared from sight.

"You heard the man," he replied with a sigh. "Time to pay the de Chagnys a visit. I trust you can ride a horse?"

"Not well," she admitted. "That's what cars are for, remember?"

"Well there aren't any cars here, so you can ride or you can walk," Erik snapped.

"I'll ride," Shelby squeaked. He helped her up onto the horse. "Whoa it's high up here. Whoa, it's moving!" she cried when the horse shifted beneath her.

"Yes, horses do that," he replied dryly before swinging up onto the other animal and pulling Celine up into his lap. "Now come."

* * *

Shelby could tell Erik was getting angry with their slow pace. Riding horses was something fun you do at summer camp, not something to get to your friend whose life was hanging in the balance, and her inexperience was causing them to go at a slow jog. "I'm just slowing you down. You should just go ahead and leave me."

"We're nearly there," he replied with a sigh. "And there's not a whole lot I can do there. Out here, well it's easier to pretend like nothing's wrong."

"Daddy?" whispered the little girl snuggled up against his chest.

"Yes my angel?"

"Mommy's gonna be okay right?"

Erik kissed the top of her head. "I hope so."

"Whoa what is that?" Shelby whispered.

"That would be the de Chagny manor," Erik explained. "Christine and Raoul's home. They live here with their son Gustav. Yes, _their_ son," he added, seeing the look on Shelby's face. He hopped down and began carrying Celine towards the house. "Now come."

"Ouch!" she cried as her foot caught in the stirrup, causing her to crash to the ground. "Thanks for the help!"

She ran in the house after him and saw Erik kneeling with Celine and a small blonde boy in his arms. "Daddy, you're back!"

"Yes, I am," he replied. "I missed you two so much."

A door opened and a man Shelby had never seen before walked in. "Is she going to okay?" Erik demanded.

He glanced at the twins. "Perhaps we should talk elsewhere, where this isn't little ears. I'm afraid I have some bad news."


	23. Chapter 23

Erik sank to his knees beside his wife as he took in the doctor's news. Christine's hands flew to her mouth in shock. "So there's nothing…nothing you can do?" Raoul stammered. "You can't help her?"

Henri shook his head. "I'm so sorry, but I've done everything I can."

"But…but if she doesn't wake up, then she'll die!" Christine cried.

"Oh God, oh God," Erik moaned. "What am I going to tell the twins?"

"Are you absolutely sure?" Shelby pressed. "Are you sure she won't ever wake up?"

"With a miracle, she might," Henri replied. "But with the trauma she's received, I highly doubt she will. Honestly, I'm surprised she's managed to hold on this long. I'm sorry."

"Before, she thought she was pregnant. Do you know anything about that?" Erik asked. Raoul and Christine exchanged a look with the doctor. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"We were hoping you didn't know," Christine said softly. "We thought it would be easier if you didn't know. But even if she does survive, there isn't going to be a baby. Natalie had a miscarriage last week."

"No," he whispered. "She needed me… she needed me, and I WASN'T THERE!"

"Last week? How long was Erik gone?" Shelby asked.

"Damn near a month," Raoul replied viciously. "Everyone, Natalie included, thought you weren't going to bother to come back."

"A month?" Erik repeated in disbelief. Luckily only Shelby could hear him. "A month?"

"Where the hell have you been?" the Vicomte demanded. "You disappeared without a trace, like only you can do. Do you know how upset Natalie was? She cried for nearly two weeks straight!"

"Leave him alone!" Shelby shouted in Erik's defense. "Do you think he wanted to leave? All he ever talked about was getting home! Don't you think he's had an awful enough day, without you screaming at him too?"

"Raoul, she's right," Christine interjected. "Let him a have some time to absorb everything. We can discuss this later."

She pulled Raoul out of the room, and the doctor started to follow. He turned back to Erik just long enough to say, "I'm sorry Monsieur. She was a wonderful person."

Once he was gone, Erik buried his face in his arms on the bed and began to cry. He had been so close, but he was too late. Shelby, who was also crying, put one hand on Erik's shoulder and gently took Natalie's hand with the other. "She's a fighter, you know that," she said softly. "Besides, she spent three days unconscious at the hospital when she was really in your world. Maybe that's just what happened here. Maybe she just went back."

"You don't understand," he replied, his voice cracking with emotion. "This isn't like your world. We don't have the fancy machines you do. If she doesn't wake up soon, then Christine's right. She _will_ die."

She wiped her eyes. "She was my best friend. We were like sisters. I don't remember a weekend where she wasn't at my house once we turned twelve. We told each other everything; we knew everything about each other. Hell, there was a time once where we could finish each other's sentences because we spent so much time together. I missed her so much these past few years, and now that I could see her again, this happens."

"I'm sure she missed you just as much as you missed her," he replied. "She never really spoke about her home, but I could tell she missed it."

Shelby gave him a weak smile. "You think so?" A nod was his only response. "I'll give you a little privacy. I'm sure this wasn't the reunion you were expecting and hoping for. I know it wasn't for me."

The door clicked shut as she let herself out of the room. With a touch as light as a feather, Erik ran his fingers over Natalie's bruised jaw, her black eye, her split lip, hating himself for not being able to save her in time. He knew he would never be able to forgive himself for this, and once the twins were old enough to understand what had happened today, he was sure they'd hate him too.

"Natalie," he whispered. "I don't know if you can hear me, if you're even there, but if you can, I need you to fight. If not for me, than for the twins. They need their mother. And I need the love of my life back too. I need the girl with the blue hair, the crazy girl from the future. I need the girl who would fight over wearing a dress. The one who'd ask me to protect her from the boogeyman just so I'd hold her, the one who'd comfort to me when I had nightmares, the one who'd play in the snow, who'd steal my mask, who'd make references to things only she could understand. I need the girl who would never leave me, no matter what I did. Goddammit, I need you Natalie!"

He took a deep breath and tried to get himself relatively under control before continuing. "I know I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I was selfish, more worried about my own stupid face than I was about you. But I swear it will never happen again. You and the twins will always be my main focus from now on. I will fetch you the moon and the stars if that's what it takes. All you have to do is just open your eyes. Please. I love you. That will _never_ change. Just open your eyes." As she remained deathly still, Erik could feel his hope evaporating. Maybe Henri was right. Maybe she would never wake up. Maybe she would die.

There was a soft knock on the door, before Shelby let herself in. "Erik?"

"Go away."

"Erik, they're asking questions. Questions that you need to answer."

"They can wait," he spat.

She shook his shoulder, trying to get his attention, but he just shrugged her off. "Raoul's saying you shouldn't have abandoned your children. He's saying you don't deserve them. Erik, he said won't let you take the twins home!"

He spun around, flames of anger in his eyes. "I'll kill him before he gets between me and my children," he threatened. "And the Vicomte is no match for me."

"You don't have to get that drastic. I'm sure if we just explain the situation, they'll understand."

"Yeah right," he huffed. "Like they'll believe me when I saw I was in the future. They already think Natalie's crazy, even though they'll deny it if you confront them about it."

"C'mon Ghost Boy," she replied, dragging him to his feet. "Don't worry. I'll make sure they don't call you crazy. I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Erik gently placed a kiss on his wife's lips before Shelby pulled him out the door.

"No more avoiding the question," Raoul ordered the moment they were in the room. "Where. The. Hell. Have. You. Been?"

"Natalie's not crazy," Erik answered vaguely.

"That's not an answer."

"Look, she really _is_ from the future. I don't know how, but somehow I managed to wind up there, and it was damn near impossible to get back."

Raoul rolled his eyes. "Either you're hiding something, or you've lost your mind. I'm betting it's the first option."

"I'm not lying to you!" Erik yelled, looking to Shelby for one of her 'tricks'. Instead of helping him though, she was too busy messing with that stupid rectangle she was always talking to. She glanced up, gave him a sly smile then tapped the rectangle once.

"_Oppan Gangnam Style  
Gangnam Style  
Op op op op oppan Gangnam Style  
Gangnam Style  
Op op op op oppan Gangnam Style_

Eh Sexy lady  
Op op op op oppan Gangnam Style  
Eh Sexy lady  
Op op op op  
Eh eh eh eh eh eh"

The Vicomte and his wife both jumped at the sudden noise. "What is that?" Christine cried.

"Gangnam Style," Shelby replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. When they stared at her in disbelief, she rolled her eyes. "By PSY? You know? The hit song? With the horsey dance thing? Don't you people know anything?" With a greatly exaggerated sigh, she continued with, "I suppose you'll want me to turn it off."

"What is that thing?" Christine squeaked, pointing to the rectangle.

"A cell phone. Duh."

Erik realized she was waiting for him to play along. "You'll have to forgive them, they don't have any yet."

Shelby flipped her hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes again. "Obviously. Honestly, you people live in the freaking Stone Age. I can't get any service, there's no Wi-Fi, no outlet. How is my phone supposed to be useful?"

"Who are you?" Raoul demanded.

"I'm Shelby. I was friends with Natalie. We grew up together. In 2012. You guys are all nutters. There's a reason I didn't do well in history class. There wasn't anything interesting that happened until the machine gun gets invented in World War One. Hell, the _Titanic_ hasn't even sunk yet."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

She turned to Erik. "Don't these guys know anything?" she asked in mock exasperation. "Seriously! And I thought you didn't know much! Hang on, I think I have the music video downloaded…yeah hang on, here it is." Shelby tapped the phone a few more times, the music started back up, and she passed it to Raoul.

Erik could see an Asian man prancing around the screen, doing that 'horsey-dance thing' that Shelby mentioned. The Vicomte cried out in surprise and dropped it. "That thing's possessed!" he screamed, hiding Christine behind him, shielding her from the 'demon' rectangle.

"Hey! That thing's expensive!" Shelby snapped in reply, scooping the phone off the floor.

The two looked like they were going to get into a fistfight (Erik was betting Shelby would win if such a fight ever occurred), when the door opened. Everyone gasped in shock. "What's all the shouting for?" a voice asked softly.

Her eyes were still dazed, her legs looked like they were about to give out from beneath her, and she looked like she was going to faint at any second, but she was awake. She was alive! Erik shoved past everyone and caught her in his arms and her legs buckled. "Natalie!" he cried in delight, kissing her lips, her forehead, her cheeks, every inch of her face he could reach. "Oh Natalie, you're alive!"


	24. Chapter 24

_C'mon now guys. After this long, do you really think I would've killed Natalie? ...Acutally that sounds like something I'd do. But no, Natalie isn't going to die. I'm not that mean. Maybe some other time, some other character. But since Natalie is (honest to God) based off my personality, so killing her is like half suicide. So enjoy Natalie and Erik's reunion. Read and Review! _

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"Silly Erik," Natalie giggled, as he scooped her up and carried her to an armchair. She was weak enough to keep him worried even though she was awake. "Of course I'm alive, why wouldn't I be?" He held her tightly against his chest, just glad to hear her voice again. "Well, somebody's clingy today. What's your problem?"

Erik was surprised by the way she was behaving. He had expected her to react the way the Vicomte was, but she was acting like there was nothing wrong. Looking into her eyes, he saw they were still hazy. Then it really sank in. She had been hit in the head repeatedly, she was probably confused and it seemed had some memory loss too. "You don't remember?" he asked softly.

"Remember?" she repeated slowly. "Remember what?" Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. "You…you left. No one could find you. But…But you're here. Did you come home? Or are we dead?"

He chuckled at how quickly that escalated. "No, we're not dead."

"Good. Being dead isn't supposed to hurt this much. My head hurts so badly," she whimpered. Erik rubbed her back soothingly as she leaned against his chest. After a few moments, Natalie pulled away. She seemed more focused and alert than she had just a few minutes ago, as though she was just now truly waking up. "You're…you're back!"

"I'm back," he offered with a sheepish smile.

Natalie suddenly smacked him with every ounce of strength she had, but she was so weak that Erik's cheek barely turned red. "How could you?!" she screamed. "Do you know how worried I was? You could've been hurt or dead for all I knew! Did you even care about us? For a month, I had to tell the twins I had no clue where their father was!" Erik had to repress a smile. It wasn't that he didn't feel awful, he did. It was just that this was more the reaction he was expecting. "I thought you decided to give up on us. I went to fucking _Paris_ looking for you! I…I…"

"Breathe Natalie," Erik begged as she began gasping for air. She seemed to have forgotten to breathe during her rant. "Just breathe." Natalie did as she was told, but was glaring at him, and he knew she wasn't done.

Just as she was about to start shouting again, Natalie caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. She gently touched the bruised side of her face, before mouthing Craig's name. "Erik!" she cried. "Erik, the twins! Craig's back! He did this to me! God knows what he did to them! We have to find them!"

"It's okay, everything's fine," he cooed, wrapping his arms around her. "They're fine. They're in the other room with Gustav."

"He said that Christian was dead!" Natalie sobbed. "He said he killed our baby."

"No, he's safe. He's perfectly fine. They both are. Craig lied to you. We're all safe." Natalie didn't look convinced, and Erik knew he was going to have to tell her what he did. "Craig can never hurt you or the twins again. He's dead. I…I killed him. If I hadn't, he was going to kill you. If I had gotten there any later, he would've."

"Then he just went back," she protested. "If he's come back once, he'll do it again!"

"No he didn't. Natalie, this time he didn't disappear. This time he's really dead, I swear it."

"So it's done then? The nightmare's over?" She offered him a watery smile, but it disappeared just as quickly. "Hell of a time for you to come back," she snapped.

"Natalie, I came back as soon as I could."

She shoved him aside and tried to stand to storm away but wound up collapsing back into the chair. "You probably couldn't wait to leave your crazy wife," Natalie spat.

"You're not crazy," Erik replied softly, before kissing her forehead, trying to soothe her.. "You never were, and you don't know how sorry I am that I didn't believe you."

"Well…" Shelby suddenly interrupted. She and the de Chagnys had been staying out of the way, letting the couple reunite. "I never said she _wasn't_."

Natalie's face turned deathly white, making Erik fear she was going to faint. "That…that voice. I thought I'd never hear that voice again. It…it can't be."

"I met someone who proved to me that you were right," Erik continued, stepping away to reveal Shelby. "And that I was wrong."

"Hey girl," Shelby said with a grin.

With a little help from Erik, Natalie stood again. She took one step towards Shelby before collapsing into her husband's arms. He quickly placed her back down on the chair. "Natalie?" he called, checking to make sure she was still breathing.

"Maybe we should have given her a little warning," Shelby said.

"Maybe you should have waited until she recovered from her near-death experience," Raoul added.

"Is she alright?" Christine asked with concern.

Erik nodded as Natalie stirred. "She's waking up now."

"Of course," Shelby said with an eye roll. "_I _faint and you just yell at me. _She_ faints and you go all 'Oh my God, the Mayan apocalypse is upon us!'."

"You know I don't know what that means," Erik replied. He gently caressed the uninjured half of his wife's face as her eyes fluttered open. "Welcome back."

She embraced him tightly and hid her face in the crook of his neck. "Erik, I'm going crazy. For real this time."

"No you're not," he replied with a chuckle. "Why would you say that?"

"I just saw someone I can't ever see again," she told him. "Someone that shouldn't be here."

Shelby laughed. "Well we can get locked up in the madhouse together then. I thought _I_ was going crazy when the Phantom of the Opera showed up at my house. In 2012, that's not okay."

Natalie peeked over his shoulder and her eyes grew wide. "Sh…Shel…Shelby?"

"That's my name!" her friend replied brightly.

"Oh my God," Natalie breathed. "Wha…what...how…how..._Shelby?!"_

"Long time no see huh?"


	25. Chapter 25

_Hey guys! Guess what! Happy chapter! Time for Shelby and Natalie to really reunite and for a whole spew of moderness to confuse the heck out of the original _Phantom_ characters! So in other words, it's kind of told from everyone's point of view, but mostly Natalie's. If you can name the stuff I quote, then you have excellent taste in movies and you deserve a digital high-five. Anyway, you know the drill. Read and Review!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

Natalie wasn't sure what was going on. Her head was hurting badly and she was pretty sure she had lost her mind. Somehow she was in Erik's arms with Shelby hanging over her. This wasn't possible. Shelby and Erik couldn't exist in the same place. One or both of them had to be a hallucination. Erik's embrace tightened as he murmured, "It's okay Natalie," into her ear.

Shelby waved her hand in front of Natalie's stunned face. "I think you broke her."

"I didn't do anything!" he protested. "This was your fault!"

"Holy hell," Natalie whispered. "Is this really happening?"

Her husband kissed her neck gently. "Yes, this is really happening. I know it's hard to believe, but she's really here, and so am I. And I don't plan on that ever changing again."

"Oh my God!" she cried. "Shelby?!" Natalie threw her arms around her friend. "Is this a dream?"

Shelby gave her a mischievous grin. "Of course not. If this were a dream, there'd be rum in it."

Natalie screamed. "Oh my God! It's you! I've missed you so much! Do you know how long I've gone without someone who actually understands Johnny Depp?!"

"Too long, I'm guessing," Shelby replied with a smirk. "How does it feel to go from the comfy 21st Century to the Stone Age that is the 19th Century?"

"It takes a lot of getting used to," Natalie admitted. "It is nuts here. For instance, if I say 'Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?' they think you need to be locked away!"

"No way! That's an easy one! You poor girl!" Shelby looked her injuries over. "No offense and I know it's not your fault, but you look freaking awful."

She just waved it off. "Tis a flesh wound."

"A flesh wound? You're whole arm's off!"

Natalie crossed her arms and pouted. "No it isn't."

"Look!"

"I've had worse!" she protested with a smile.

"You lie!" Shelby shouted.

"C'mon ya pansy!" Natalie and Shelby both dissolved into giggle fits like children and hugged each other tightly.

Raoul, Christine, and Erik all exchanged glances. "What on earth are they saying?" the Vicomte asked.

Erik shrugged. "I don't have the foggiest clue. Get used to it."

"Well they're certainly happy to see each other," Christine said. "And I suppose as long Natalie's happy then it is okay."

"So tell me you aren't really married to this dude," Shelby was saying, gesturing towards Erik. "Because despite what he says, I still have a really hard time buying it."

"It's true," Natalie confirmed as Erik walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Seven whole years and two kids ago, we said 'I do'."

"And you didn't bother to invite me?!" Shelby cried. "No invite, no letter, no announcement, not even a note saying 'Oh by the way, I went and got married the other day'! How utterly and incredibly rude! I thought I was your best friend!"

"Well I'm sorry, but I haven't figured out how to send letters across dimensions!" Natalie laughed. "Hell, I don't even know how to send a letter into the future on the off chance we're even in the same universe!"

"Why wouldn't you be in the same universe?" Raoul asked, interrupting their conversation.

"Because in our universe you don't exist!" Shelby replied cheerfully. "You're just characters in movies…"

"Moving pictures," Natalie clarified, seeing their confused expressions.

"Plays and books!" Shelby continued without missing a beat. "But you aren't real! Actually I think I have the _Phantom_ soundtrack on my phone."

She pulled out her phone and began going through her playlist, Natalie looking over her shoulder, commenting on nearly every song Shelby went past. "That's a good song…why on earth would you buy that…hey I forgot about that one…what the heck is that one…I don't remember that person…"

"Nope, I don't have _Phantom of the Opera_ on here. I guess I need to add that when I get home. I suppose I could play _Love Never Dies_…"

"NO!" Natalie and Erik shouted simultaneously.

The couple exchanged looks. "You _did not _how him that. Why the hell would you show him that?!" Natalie asked.

"He kept breaking my stuff," Shelby explained. "It kept him occupied. He also saw Lerik and Gerik and Rerik."

"Oh my God," Natalie moaned. "Why would you do that?"

"Because he kept breaking my stuff!"

"What's so bad about this _Love Never Dies_?" Christine asked curiosity in her voice.

"You don't want to know!" Natalie and Erik cried.

"Okay, okay, then I won't ask again."

Shelby rolled her eyes. "Speaking of Ramin, they've made a Les Mis movie."

"No way!" Natalie cried. "Is Ramin in it? Please tell me he's in it!"

"Actually, no he's not. Just the live anniversary version. Him and Hadley," Shelby admitted. "But Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, and Hugh Jackman are all in the movie."

"Nice!"

"Speaking of tragic musicals," Shelby started. "Is there any chance I might be able to find a Johnny Depp lookalike? I mean you married freaking Gerard Butler. I want Johnny!"

Natalie shrugged. "Not a clue. Haven't been to London looking."

"We should go!" her friend squealed. "How much fun would that be?!"

"Listen Shelby," she began, putting an arm around her friend's shoulders. "As fantastic as _Sweeney Todd_ is, I really have no desire to trek all the way to London. For all we know, it's not Johnny Depp, and even if it was, I don't want to be viciously murdered by a cannibalistic serial killing barber."

"He's not cannibalistic personally!" Shelby protested. "He just has other people unknowingly become cannibals."

"Either way, I have no grand desire to wind up as a meat pie."

"What on earth is wrong with them?" Raoul asked, horrified at the thought of women discussing cannibals and serial-killing barbers as casually as they would the weather.

"We're still trying to figure that out!" Natalie replied nonchalantly.

"It's one of the great unsolved mysteries of the world," Shelby added with a grin. "Like how Natalie managed to marry the Phantom of the Opera or why did Fred have to die or why did Kim Kardashian bother having a ten million dollar wedding if she was going to get divorced seventy-two days later?"

"She made it a whole seventy-two days?" Natalie exclaimed. "Didn't Brittney Spears have like a three week marriage?"

"I think so, but it didn't cost her ten million dollars."

Raoul sighed in exasperation. "I give up trying to follow this."

Erik laughed at the Vicomte "I never bothered trying."


	26. Chapter 26

"Can we go home now?" Celine asked. "Please?"

Natalie nodded just as Raoul shook his head. "Natalie, you are in no condition to be traveling. A few hours ago, the doctor told us you were on the verge of dying. You should stay here for a few more days, the night at least."

"I'm not leaving her again!" Erik exclaimed, wrapping one arm tightly around Natalie and the other one around his children.

"No one said you had to go," Christine replied. "You're more than welcome to stay until she's strong enough to go." Raoul glared at her for a moment, before realizing Natalie wouldn't stay without Erik, and he wouldn't leave without her.

"It's only a few miles. You guys don't need to boss me around," Natalie protested, pulling away. "I'm perfectly…" Her legs gave out and would've crashed to the ground if not for her husband's quick movements, catching her. "Fine," she finished halfheartedly.

Erik sighed. "They're right. Look, I know you want to go home, I do too," he admitted. "But you can't even stand on your own. One more night, then we'll go home." He kissed her before continuing with, "I promise." She pouted but nodded.

"We're not going home?" Christian cried.

"Tomorrow kiddo," Natalie said softly. "We'll go home tomorrow."

"I'll inform the cook that we'll have two more for supper then," Christine announced.

"A cook?" Shelby repeated. "Who cooks?"

"People here have to actually cook," Natalie responded. "They can't just get take-out or pull something out of the freezer. One benefit of that is that here people get real food. Unfortunately that means in the past seven years, I haven't had anything artificial, fried, greasy, covered in cheese, or dipped in sugar."

"Holy crap! What do you eat?!"

"Real food."

Shelby shuddered. "Ew, that's disgusting. No wonder you people are so thin."

Natalie laughed. "No, we're healthier because they have real food. But I would kill for some McDonalds or a Twinkie right about now."

"Well the next time you're in town, we'll go to McDonalds, but I can't help you with the Twinkie bit, because now no one gets them. Hostess went out of business."

"Oh my God," Natalie whispered. "My faith in humanity just died. How are you supposed to survive the apocalypse if Hostess is out of business? Your whole survival plan revolved around Twinkies."

"What's a Twinkie?" Celine asked her mother.

"It's a pastry," she explained. "It's about this long and it has whipped cream in the middle."

"Except it's so processed and artificial that it'll never ever go bad. Or that's what people say. They're so good they never last that long," Shelby added.

"What on earth do you eat in the future?" Raoul asked. "That's disgusting."

Natalie laughed. "You'd think so, but it's so delicious. America in a hundred years is a sugar-lover's paradise."

* * *

Shelby tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The de Chagny house was comfortable enough, but she didn't do well outside her own bed. Finally she got up and decided to go explore the mansion. Everyone else was asleep, so hopefully no one minded her wandering.

She opened the door and made her way down the hall. Where were Natalie and Erik hiding? After cautiously opening a few doors and finding nothing of interest, she opened one revealing the Phantom and his family sleeping on the floor. Erik had one arm wrapped protectively around his wife, Natalie's head was resting on his chest, and the twins were snuggled between the two. As she moved to step out, Erik's eyes half opened and he gave her a lazy grin. It was rather cute, and Shelby could clearly tell this was a family that loved each other very much.

"Awwww," she silently mouthed, forming a heart with her hands.

Careful not to disturb his sleeping family, Erik waved her off. "Go away," he mouthed back.

"Make me!" She stuck her tongue out at him before returning to her bedroom. At least she knew that if she didn't stick around for long, that her friend was loved, happy, and well taken care of, and that was good enough for her.

* * *

"Home," Erik whispered as their house came into sight. "God I missed this place."

"That's it?" Shelby asked in surprise. "It's not very big."

"Well it wasn't meant to be," Natalie replied. "This was where Erik came after he bur..." Her voice trailed off as she realized the twins were in the carriage as well. She and Erik had agreed when their children were born that they would keep their knowledge of his 'misdeeds' to a minimum. "Well, he came here after the opera incident. Eventually I showed up and it was the two of us. Then we got married and the twins came along. It's a little cozy for sure, but we weren't exactly expecting you to decide to move in."

"I'm not moving in," Shelby countered. "I'm inviting myself to stay indefinitely until I figure out how to get back to our time or come up with another solution. That's what he did when he showed up at my place. After all, unlike you Natalie, I didn't have an abandoned lover waiting for me to possibly show up."

When they stopped outside the front door, Erik gracefully scooped up his wife and entered his home for the first time in too long. Natalie giggled in his arms. "It's almost like our wedding night," she commented. "Remember?"

"Except we didn't have the twins or your friend in the house at the time." Erik murmured into her ear, smiling at the memory.

"And you two better not be as loud as I'm guessing you were on your wedding night," Shelby added with a smirk.

Erik nearly dropped Natalie, shocked at what Shelby was eluding to. He could feel his face turn bright red. "I'll be as loud as I damn well please!" Natalie shot back. "It's my house!" There was no way he'd ever get used to how open they were about that particular subject. Was everyone like this or was it a future thing or what?

"Aw, look at him! He's turning pink!" Shelby cooed, noticing Erik's embarrassment. "You're not so big and tough as you pretend are you? You're just a big ole softie!"

Natalie smiled. "How many times did I tell you that all he really needed was a hug and a few shots of something strong?" She kissed her husband's cheek. "She's just jealous that she can't find someone as perfect as you."

"I'll say! Where can I find me one of those? He's strong, handsome, talented, and obviously loves you very much."

"He's great with kids too," Natalie said with a grin.

"_He_ is right here," Erik interjected.

Oh come on!" Natalie laughed. "It's not like we're saying anything bad about you."

"How do I know that?" he asked. "Maybe it's a future code for something insulting."

"Damn, he's onto us," Shelby whispered. "New plan, we insult him directly, and maybe he thinks that in the future, it's really a compliment."

"I don't think so."

"Dad?" Christian suddenly interrupted as Erik gently set Natalie down on the sofa. "Are you going to take Mademoiselle Shelby home now?"

"No," Erik replied. "I'm not going to leave again."

"Actually I'm not going to leave either," Shelby added. "I'm going to stay here with you guys for a while."

"Really?" Celine asked. "How come?"

"Cause your Mommy and I are good friends but we haven't seen each other in a very long time. That and it's very, _very_ hard to get back to where I'm from," Shelby explained. "So Ghost Boy, where do I get to sleep?"

"Ghost Boy?" Natalie giggled. "I'm going to have to use that."

"Don't you dare," he replied.

"So seriously, where do I sleep?"

"The couch," Natalie answered.

"Really?"

"Well, I told you, we're already full without you. This house wasn't supposed to have five people in it. It was originally made for two or three at the most."

Erik kissed her temple. "Luckily for you, you happen to have a husband who has enough knowledge of architecture to make it fit four."

"I'll make the couch work," Shelby grumbled, pretending to be upset.

* * *

Early the next morning, Natalie awoke with a yawn. "Morning Erik." When she didn't get a response, she rolled over to wake him up. To her horror, the other side of the bed was empty. "No, no, no! Not again!"


	27. Chapter 27

_Guys, I'm afraid I have some bad news. I have decided that the next chapter will be the last in this story, which means the next update shall be the end of Natalie and Erik's adventures. Don't worry, I swear on the life of the twins that I won't seperate them again because that's utterly mean (although now that I think about it, I was originally going to have one of the twins get seriously ill and die and the other be on their deathbed when Erik got back, but that was too cruel even for me). So you've all been warned the end is near! I love you all! Read and Review (and savor the updates!)_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"Erik!" Natalie screamed, running through the house. Two sleepy-eyed twins emerged from their bedrooms at the commotion. "Erik!" The front door swung open and her husband walked in. She threw herself in his arms and buried her face in his chest, sobbing with relief. "Don't do that to me!" Natalie cried. "Don't scare me like that! I woke up and you were gone! I thought you left again!

"I'm sorry!" He held her tightly and rubbed her back comfortingly. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to upset you."

"You…you were gone." Her body shuddered as she sobbed. "You had just gotten back then you were gone again."

"Oh Natalie, I'm sorry. I didn't think."

"God I hate you," she murmured into his shirt. "Promise me you won't scare me like that again."

"I promise. I'm so, _so_ sorry."

"What the hell were you doing?!"

"Celine was crying; she had a nightmare. I went to comfort her, and I calmed her down, told her a story, sang her to sleep, you know the drill. I was in there with her for about an hour. When I came out, Shelby was gone. I thought maybe she had gotten curious and went exploring like she had at the de Chagny's, so I went to look for her. I didn't think about you waking up without me."

"Shelby's gone?" Natalie repeated.

He nodded. "I looked everywhere for her, but she's just not here. I'm sorry."

* * *

Shelby woke with a start. Her back was sore from sleeping hunched over. She stretched and wondered how long she had been out. Then she wondered where she was. Looking around, she was back at her desk at Dan's office. That had to mean she was back in 2012.

Honestly, she was a little upset by that. Granted, she was a hell of a lot more comfortable here where they had basic technology, but still…It was fantastic to see Natalie, to know she was alive and happy. But it was too bad they had so little time together. Shelby would have loved to stay longer, to spent time catching up with her friend and her family. Erik was sweet once you got past his tough-guy façade, and the twins were adorably cute. She had never seen anyone even remotely like them, but then again, how many people can claim to be half 19th Century French and half 21st Century American?

With a sigh, she began to pack up her purse to go home. Just then, her boss burst into the room. "He's gone!" Dan shouted.

Realizing that she couldn't exactly say Erik time traveled, Shelby had to come up with an excuse and fast. "What are you talking about? Who's gone? Isn't it a little late for you to be here anyway?"

"Erik's gone!"

She made her face go blank then confused. "Who?"

"Your cousin, the one you had me operate on? The one with the deformed face? The one you brought here to me?"

"What are you talking about? Dan, are you feeling okay?"

"Feeling okay?" he repeated. "Of course I'm feeling okay! I want to know is why you suddenly don't remember your French cousin!"

He stormed out of the room and came back a few minutes later with something in hand. Dan tossed it in her lap. Shelby realized that it was a white leather half-mask. "Oh very funny," she said, faking a laugh. "I see what this is."

"What are you talking about?"

"The mask, the disappearing French man, you're trying to do 'Phantom of the Plastic Surgeon's'. Next thing you know, you're going to have someone show up dressed in a cape and a prosthetic to make him look the _Phantom of the _Opera. Very funny, dude, but Halloween was last week."

"That's not…"

Instead of letting him finish, Shelby swung her purse onto her shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've wound up spending way more time than I was expecting. I'm going home. See you tomorrow!"

_"Shelby!"_

She just waved at him over her shoulder. "Bye Dan!"

* * *

Erik kissed his daughter's forehead as he tucked her into bed. "Goodnight my angel."

When he moved to leave, she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. "Daddy you're not leaving again, are you?"

He instantly returned her hug. "Of course not."

"You were gone this morning," she replied. "Mommy was crying, and I got scared that you were gonna be gone for a long time again."

"No, no, this morning I was just outside, but I forgot to tell Mommy. I'm not going anywhere again. I promise you."

She nodded and hugged him again. "Goodnight Daddy."

"Goodnight Celine." He stood and returned to his wife. "Well, I think our daughter has been traumatized by my absence. She's been asking me if I'm going to leave again nearly nonstop since I got home."

Natalie gave him a soft smile. "Well she is your little angel. Little girls usually have a very strong connection with their father. Mostly because they're already mastering the art of manipulating weak-minded males."

"I am not weak-minded!" Erik protested.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" Natalie pushed him backwards until he fell to the floor. "I bet I can get you to do anything for a little 'treat'." She winked at the last word to make her meaning clear as crystal.

He sat up on his knees before her. "You're right about that, but there isn't a man in the world who wouldn't want you," he replied before kissing her stomach. Natalie suddenly backed away, tears welling up her eyes. "Natalie what is it? Was it something I said?"

"I…I wasn't going to tell you, but…but I…I can't lie to you." She wrapped her arms around herself and sat heavily on the bed. "I…I told you I thought I was pregnant, but while you were gone, I…I…the baby…"

Realizing what she was trying to say, Erik pulled her into his arms. "I know," he whispered. "They told me when the doctor was taking care of you. I know about the miscarriage. It's my fault. I should have been here. If you weren't worrying about me, then you wouldn't have stressed to that point."

Natalie burst into tears. "No it's my fault. I wasn't eating, I wasn't sleeping, and Raoul told me bad things were going to happen but I wouldn't listen to him." She wailed, "I killed our baby!"

"No, no, no don't say that! Listen to me; you couldn't have done anything differently."

"But it wasn't your fault you got sucked to the future."

Erik knew that Natalie wasn't going to give up this fight. "Maybe it's your fault, maybe it's mine. It could've been both of us or it could've been neither of us. Natalie, the point is that no matter how much it hurts, we can't go back and change what happened. We have to move forward."

"Maybe I don't want to move forward!" she shouted.

"Well that's the thing about moving forward," he replied softly. "You move on whether you want to or not, and that's exactly what we're going to do. It might take a while, but we can do it. I'll be there every step of the way with you."

"Promise me?"

He kissed his wife tenderly. "Yes. And I mean it this time."


	28. Epilogue

_**One Year Later**_

Things were finally back to normal. It had taken Natalie some time, but she had finally gotten over losing the baby and was back to her happy-go-lucky, strange self. Erik couldn't be happier.

"Christian, that's supposed to be a C sharp, not a C natural," he instructed his son who was learning a new piece over on the piano. "Here, like this." With ease, Erik's fingers moved across the keys, demonstrating how the phrase was supposed to sound. "Understand?"

His son nodded. "Like this?" He repeated the notes for his father, not quite as skillfully as Erik, but it was still very impressive for a seven year old.

Erik ruffled the little boy's hair. "Exactly like that." He turned to his daughter. "Celine, you know that's bad posture." He gently adjusted the violin on her shoulder. "That's better. If you practice badly, you'll play badly, and you're much too good for that."

"Yes Daddy," she replied. He smiled. Both of them had had musical talent from an early age, but in the past year, he was astounded by the progress the twins had made. He had been teaching them piano since they were about three, but lately they had also shown a gift for violin as well.

Looking around, he realized Natalie was nowhere in sight. "Where's your mother?" he inquired. Christian pointed down the hall. "Stay here and keep practicing. I'm going to see what she's up to."

Eventually he found Natalie in the bathroom. Her skin was cold and clammy and her face was white. "Are you alright?" he asked in concern. She nodded, but when she started to answer him, her breakfast made a reappearance in the toilet. Erik pulled her hair out of her face and rubbed her back until she finished.

"Why is it that food never tastes as good when it's coming back up as it did going down?" she muttered, leaning back against his chest.

"Because you already ate it, so it's half digested," he answered.

Natalie glared at him. "It was a rhetorical question." Erik handed her a glass of water to flush the taste out of her mouth, before checking to see if she had a fever. She waved him away. "Stop that! I'm fine!"

"Obviously not," he replied. "You need to go lie down. Should I fetch Henri?"

She shook her head. "Erik I'm fine." He moved to pick her up, but she pushed him away. "I'm serious Erik. There's nothing wrong with me. In fact…"

"Natalie, you're getting sick."

"Shut up for just a moment, will you?!" she cried. "I'm not getting sick." Natalie started to laugh. "Erik, I'm not sick, I'm late."

Erik furrowed his brow at her remark. "Late? Late for what?"

"Not late silly," she responded. "I'm _late_."

His eyes widened in understanding. "You mean…?" His jaw dropped. "How late are we talking?"

"Nearly three months. I didn't think anything of it, until I started feeling sick." She smiled. "Erik, I think we might have another child on the way."

"Is…is it too soon?" he asked breathlessly.

"Maybe," she replied honestly. "But maybe this is a second chance. A chance to do this right. With both of us together. No mistakes, no disappearing people, and more importantly, no Craig!" Erik picked her up and spun her around in a circle, making her squeal with delight. He leaned in to kiss her, but Natalie gently pressed on his chest. "Erik, I just puked. Do you really want to do that?"

He kissed the sensitive part of her neck instead before whispering, "Probably not."

* * *

Shelby logged out of her computer, ready to go home. She waved to Dan, but paused before leaving. "Hey, out of curiosity, do you still have Erik's mask?"

Her boss raised an eyebrow. "I thought you told me you had no idea what I was talking about. You told me it was nothing more than a joke for months."

"Erik is the name of the Phantom of the Opera. They never tell you in the musical, but it's in the book. Have you ever read it? It's really good."

"Right," he sighed. "Yes it's lying around here somewhere. You want it?"

She shrugged. "Why not? It's not like you're using it."

He rummaged through a couple drawers for a while before pulling out the white mask and tossing it to Shelby. She stuck it in her purse before waving goodbye to Dan. "See you tomorrow!"

As she left, Shelby wondered how her friends were doing. There hadn't been any sign of them since she woke back up here. Of course she hadn't really expected any phone calls or emails, but still… Granted it wasn't their fault seeing as no one had mastered cross-time communication.

How much time had passed for them since she had last seen them? As far as anyone could figure, there was absolutely no consistency on the time patterns. It was like _Narnia_. For all she knew, it had been fifty years or it had been fifty minutes.

Climbing into her car, she thought about how their lives were progressing. How were the twins? Was Erik treating Natalie as well as she deserved? Had they finally gotten a bigger house? Did they miss her? Her mind wandering, Shelby didn't notice the heavy rain picking up as she drove home.

* * *

Natalie slept soundly to the lullaby that was her husband's heartbeat, his arms wrapped around her. Erik was protective of her even when he wasn't even awake. "_Psst_!" A sudden voice pierced the silence. "Guys wake up!"

"What?" Natalie murmured, reluctant to leave the fog of sleep.

"So um, it was raining, and I was driving and I wasn't paying attention. I guess long story short is can I still have that couch?"

"Yeah sure whatever," Natalie replied with a yawn.

"Sweet thanks!" The door clicked shut.

"Mmhmm." She immediately rolled over and snuggled back up against her husband.

"Was that Shelby?" Erik asked his voice groggy. It was moments like this that Natalie loved. She loved when she could still catch him half asleep and vulnerable.

"Yup."

A few minutes passed, and Natalie had nearly drifted back sleep when Erik suddenly sat up. "Shelby's here? What the hell?" He climbed out of bed and walked into the parlor. Natalie got up with a groan of protest and followed him out.

"Hey guys!" Shelby said brightly. "How are you?"

"Why the hell are you so awake?" Natalie asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "It's freaking two in the morning."

"Sorry," she apologized. "I just got off work, so it's like five in the afternoon for me. You guys should probably go back to sleep. We can catch up in the morning."

"What are you doing here?" Erik inquired. "I mean, do you know what brought you here?"

"Car crash I think. One minute I'm driving home, the next I'm here. I don't really remember what happened in between." She shrugged. "Oh well. You're stuck with me now."

Erik rolled his eyes. "We'll talk later." He put his arm around Natalie and led her back to bed.

"This'll be fun," Natalie said as she nestled back into his arms. "Shelby _and _a new baby. We might just have to get a bigger house."

"Maybe we should look into getting her that trip to London."

She slapped his chest lightly. "Erik! We do not send our friends to go meet cannibalistic serial killers!"

"Just a thought."


	29. Thank You

Hey guys, I just wanted to give you all one last message. I am so incredibly grateful for all the support each and every one of you has given in these stories. I never _ever_ expected for them to get as popular as they have. You cannot believe how happy it makes me to know that someone out there actually likes my writing. Whenever I get an email saying someone's reviewed, it just totally makes my day.

As I told you before, this is the last Erik and Natalie story I am going to write. Three stories just seems like plenty for me, and I've no more left to say. Granted, the (self-proclaimed) queen of cliffhangers did strike one last time but that was on purpose. One day, in the future I _may_ (no guarantees there) do a spin-off with Shelby, but I am currently not planning one.

Even though I am done with Erik and Natalie, that doesn't mean I'm done with my _Phantom_ fics. I have another one called Too Shy currently in progress. It would mean the world to me if you all stopped and checked it out if you haven't done so already.

Also, I have two new ideas floating around in my brain, but haven't decided what I'm going to do. There are summaries and a poll on my profile if you want to help me decide which to do next. That'll probably stay there until I finish my other fic as well.

Before I go, I just wanted to say how much you all mean to me. Every time I'd get a review, I would literally freak out and drive my friends to the point of insanity because a high school girl should not be freaking out over a single review, but that's how much your praise and comments mean to me. If you ever have an idea, a question, or just want to talk, I am always around. Don't hesitate to PM me!

Thank you all so very very much! I love you all!

~nibblesfan


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